An Acknowledged Love
by WanderingRurouni
Summary: An Episodic story chronicling the events that occur after Hinata's confession of love to Naruto during the Invasion of Pain. Now in a "Choose your own Adventure" style format!
1. Memory

A very short "prologue" to this ongoing, episodic story.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you tune in to see it's progress.

**CHAPTER RATING: T**

* * *

**Episode 1: Memory**

"_I'm here because I want to be…I'm going to save you, Naruto-kun"_

"_I've always been crying, and giving up before trying. I've made the wrong turns so many times"_

"_But you helped me find my way and take the correct path, Naruto-kun."_

"_I've always chased after you…I've always wanted to catch up to you."_

"_I wanted to walk beside you all this time."_

"_I want to be by your side, always."_

"_You've changed me, Naruto-kun."_

"_Your smile is what saved me."_

"_That's why I'm not afraid to die, if it means I can protect you."_

"_Because…I love you, Naruto-kun…"_

…

Naruto's eyes opened as he recalled the events of Konoha's destruction. Pain had destroyed the village in one swift motion, and even while in Sage Mode, Naruto himself, was still at a disadvantage. His body was pinned down to the ground. There was no way he could escape from the certain death that stood in front of him; even in the face of death, there was one person who stood beside him.

Hinata's words rewound themselves and continuously resonated in his heart.

"_Because…I love you, Naruto-kun…"_

He shoved his face deeper into his pillow and took a single, deep breath. He had never acknowledged her feelings, just as Sakura had never acknowledged his. His heart ached at the thought of how much pain he must have caused her for so long.

His mind began to wander as he came to a realization.

His heart had changed. He heard her voice again.

"_I want to be by your side, always."_

Closing his eyes, he took another deep breath.

"I want you at my side, Hinata."


	2. Sage Advice

**Note on Character Ages: **

Whatever the legal drinking age is for your country, state, province, prefecture, etc. is, is how old these characters are.

All characters are adults, no children, or anything that involves anyone under age.

That's not how I roll(United States slang term for "How I do Things"-if you're not from here.). It's illegal where I live, and I'm not going to violate those laws.

**Not even in Fan Fiction.**

:)…Thanks for reading.

**CHAPTER RATING: T**

* * *

**Episode 2: Sage Advice**

Naruto opened his eyes as he heard a knocking sound at his door. He shot up from his bed. "Coming!" he shouted while stumbling over his thoughts towards the door. He noticed a green flak jacket as his hand turned the knob and let the door slide open.

"Yo, Naruto. Are you ready?" Kakashi asked him before briefly looking up from his copy of _Make-out Tactics_.

"Ready for what, Kakashi–sensei?" Naruto replied with a question of his own. Kakashi took his hand and placed it on Naruto's shoulder.

"Did you forget? You asked me to help you train today?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry, it must have slipped my mind." Naruto sluggishly replied.

"Is something wrong?" Kakashi asked. "It's not like you to forget about training sessions."

"N-no, nothing's wrong. Let me get dressed, I'll be there soon."

"Alright, do you want me to wait? Or can you make it to the training grounds by yourself?"

"I can make it on my own, I'll see you there."

"Okay, I'll see you there." Kakashi finally said while he opened his book, and turned to his left.

"It won't take me too long." Naruto stated as he saw Kakashi nod his head; stepping back into his house, he gently closed the door behind him.

_I forgot about my training session with Kakashi-sensei, huh? Something must really be on my mind._

…_As if I didn't know what that "something" or more precisely,"someone" is._ He let out a deep sigh.

_In time, I'll figure out what to do._

…

Hinata took a deep breath as she entered the fighting stance of the Gentle Fist; four shinobi surrounded her on all sides.

"_Byakugan!_" she shouted while assuming her battle stance; multiple veins appeared to protrude from her eyes as she took focus. The four shinobi charged at her without warning. Keeping her stance solid, her feet grounded, and her eyes open, she let out a cry of determination.

"_Juken! Hakke Sanjūni Shō_!"**(Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams – Thirty-Two Palms)** She brought her hands forward, delivering four strikes to her first opponent, eight to her second, sixteen to her third, and thirty-two to her fourth; her swift hands seemed to have been guided by the air. With her quick strikes connecting, she brought her hands back to their original stance. In that single instant, all four of her opponents fell to the ground.

Sensing another opponent, Hinata turned around and heard the shout of a familiar voice.

"_Hakke Kūshō!_"**(Eight Trigrams – Vacuum Palm)** A burst of air shot out from Neji's hand; with a quick glance Hinata realized the situation she was in. She formed the Gentle Fist stance again, and thrust out her arm, just as Neji had.

"_Hakke Kūshō!_" she shouted back. A similarly sharp and deadly wave of air shot from her hand. The two invisible masses clashed half way between their positions, causing a massive shockwave that shook the very foundations of the buildings that surrounded them. Neji darted at Hinata with his best efforts, his footfalls barely making a sound as he ran.

"_Jūho Sōshiken!_"**(Gentle Step: Twin Lion Fists) **Hinata shouted again as she brought her arms to her sides. Chakra began to form around her fists, each taking on the appearance of a lion's head, at the back of the lion heads the chakra flowed as if it was being blown by the wind. Hinata planted her feet deeply in the ground and answered his charge with her own.

The shock wave resulting from the colliding vacuums of air was sucked back into place as Neji and Hinata clashed. They matched each other's strikes, one for one; both jumped back as the stalemate continued.

"_Hakke Rokujūyon Shō!_"**(Eight Trigrams – Sixty-Four Palms)** Neji shouted as his body moved into position.

"_Hakke Sanjūni Shō!_" shouted back at him, while shifting into her own position. Hinata's fists were still engulfed in the light sapphire lion heads as they moved to strike one another. Once again, they traded blows, cancelling out each other's efforts simultaneously.

But unexpectedly, Hinata seemed to push a little further towards Neji's chest, and struck him with her left palm. Neji felt s pressure on his chest that was accompanied by a stunning sensation that temporarily blurred his vision. Hinata's bare left fist met his chest again with another blow, sending him back several steps back that opened a space three feet wide between the two. She took another step towards him, whose eyes opened in surprise as he saw the lion that engulfed her right fist shoot forward, closing the three foot gap and crashing into his chest. The force of the blow sent him flying back, crashing into the ground with a loud thud while still rolling back.

Hinata relaxed her stance; her hands returned to her sides, the lions that engulfed her fists disappeared into thin air.

"Are you alright? Neji-niisan." She worryingly asked him.

"Yes, everything is fine, Hinata-sama." Neji answered "That was an excellent training session. You did very well." He complimented her.

"T-Thank you, Neji-niisan!" she said, accepting his words.

"Hinata-sama, that is the strength of having a clear mind in combat. It is a great asset to analyze a subject, event or occurrence with a clear mind, free of other worries or obligations. That is when you will unlock your true potential."

"Yes! Neji-niisan!" she replied.

"Good. One more time, let's go!"

…

_What am I going to do?_ Naruto silently thought to himself while walking towards the training grounds. He exited through Konoha's main gate with a confused state of mind; remembering what route he had taken months ago, he navigated his way through the forest until her heard the sound of a raging waterfall.

_It's not far now. ALRIGHT! FOCUS!_ He repeated to himself while shaking his head. Reaching the edge of the forest, he noticed a clearing with a massive cliff split in two by a gigantic waterfall.

_That's odd. I thought Kakashi-sensei said he was going to meet me here._

"_Doton! Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu!_" **(Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique)** Kakashi's voice shouted as his hand sprouted from the ground and took hold of Naruto's foot.

_Damn it! An ambush!_ Naruto shouted at himself. Kakashi's grip tightened around Naruto's ankle and pulled him down; his entire body sunk into the earth as he struggled to move.

"Naruto…I thought you would know it was a trap, why did you fall for this so easily?" Kakashi sarcastically asked Naruto's head that protruded from the ground.

"Well, the truth is, something has been on my mind since this morning." He replied with a depressed expression in his eyes.

"Really? Well, why don't we talk about it?" Kakashi offered.

"Okay, but we'll do it after the training session." Naruto smirked.

"After? What do yo-" Naruto disappeared into a cloud of smoke as Kakashi was about to finish his sentence. "A Shadow Clone?!" Kakashi's eyes widened as he heard footsteps running towards him. He turned to see two images of Naruto, with a compressed ball of Chakra in one of their hands.

"_Rasengan!"_ **(Spiraling Sphere)**. Thinking fast, Kakashi quickly formed seals with his hands.

"_Doton: Doryūheki"_**(Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall)** A giant wall of dirt, mud and stone shot up from the ground in front of Kakashi as he leapt backwards. The wall began to disintegrate as Naruto's Rasengan connected. Instantly, as the wall began to crumble, two shadow clones appeared from the left and right sides of the wall, rushing towards Kakashi's position.

Kakashi brought his hands up and began to parry and block the Shadow Clones' assault. In the commotion of combat, Naruto ran towards Kakashi, creating two more shadow clones as he propelled himself by sliding past Kakashi's legs, and took hold of his arms.

"Damn it!" Kakashi shouted while trying to break free. The four Shadow Clones began to channel chakra into their hands.

"_Ōdama Rasengan!_"**(Giant Rasengan)** they shouted as they rushed towards Kakashi. Just as the Rasengan collided with Kakashi's chest, the real Naruto dropped down prone behind Kakashi, who was sent flying backwards, crashing into the ground multiple times before stopping with another loud crash.

"I did it!" Naruto shouted triumphantly. His eyes focused and saw that Kakashi disappeared into a cloud of smoke, only to be replaced with a log.

_Substitution?!_ He thought to himself.

"_Katon! Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"_**(Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)** Kakashi shouted as a giant fireball shot forth and began to encroach on Naruto's position while engulfing all of Naruto's shadow clones as they let out cries of anguish quickly, Naruto formed the shadow clone seal

"_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"_ **(Shadow Clone Technique)** two shadow clones appeared beside him, and flung him towards the sky. When the smoke dissipated, Kakashi saw Naruto emerge with a Rasengan orb in each hand.

"_Tsuin Rasengan!"_**(Twin Rasengan)** Naruto dropped in front of Kakashi, his left hand colliding with the ground that created a great dust cloud, through the haze of dust; he heard Kakashi let out another cry.

"_Raikiri!"_ **(Lightning Cutter)** he then heard the sound of his shadow clones disappearing behind him. Swiftly, Naruto turned and met Kakashi's Raikiri with his own Rasengan. The collision of chakra created a massive shockwave that pushed both of them back, they both fell to their knees, exhausted.

"I-is that good enough for today, Kakashi-sensei?! I think I'm dead!" Naruto shouted as he fell face first into the ground.

"You think that's enough for today?" Kakashi asked. Naruto nodded his head, grinding his face into the grass. "Okay, let's take a break. I can help you with your problem in the mean time." Kakashi rose and walked towards the waterfall. Naruto stood up and walked towards the waterfall himself. Kakashi sat down, Naruto sat down next to him.

"What's the problem?" Kakashi asked.

"Well, the problem isn't really a thing, she's a person." Naruto replied, slightly embarrassed.

"Sakura?"

"Uh…no, you'd assume so, but no." Naruto stuttered his reply. "Actually, it's Hinata."

"That girl from the Hyuuga family? How did that come to happen?" Kakashi inquired.

Naruto gave Kakashi a slightly shocked look.

"She was the only one who stood by me when Pain attacked the village. That day made me realize something about her, and myself."

"Ah, you see. I wasn't there to see that." Kakashi replied bluntly.

_Right. You were dead._ Naruto thought.

"Well, I can help you with that…at least a little bit." Kakashi replied.

"Really?! How?!" Naruto shot back with enthusiasm.

"We'll have to head back home for me to show you what you need. Follow me." Kakashi stood up, and walked back into the forest. Naruto followed his every footstep.

…

Kakashi unlocked the door to his house while Naruto followed behind him. He pointed to his couch. Naruto quickly had a seat. Kakashi walked towards his bookshelf and pointed at a series of books.

"…You want me to read Jiraiya-sensei's _Make-Out_ Novels…?" Naruto asked with a confused tone.

"Well, it's one option." Kakashi stated.

"But those books are so boring…" Naruto protested. "…I was with him while he was doing his 'research' a few years ago…and I didn't learn anything from that, either."

"Why not give it a try? You never know what you'll find." Kakashi said as he handed Naruto a copy of _Make-Out Paradise_. Naruto sighed heavily and took the book. "Read that first, and see if you can gather any information to help you." Kakashi nodded and stood up.

"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei." He said while he walked out of the house.

_Well, if he left a special code that only I could find out…maybe I'll get something from this book, too._

_**TWO HOURS LATER**_

"What the hell is wrong with this book?!" Naruto shouted as he lay on his bed.

"**What kind of writer starts off a story where they tell each other that they already love one another?! There's nowhere to go from there!"** he loudly criticized the novel.

Extremely tired and frustrated, he shut the book, and put it on his desk.

Closing his eyes, he fell asleep.

…

When Naruto opened his eyes, he was sitting on a hill, overlooking a lush forest. His gaze shifted down and found that he was dressed in his usual attire, a black and orange jumpsuit with matching pants. He heard footsteps behind him, his eyes widened as he saw Jiraiya walking towards him.

"Jiraya-sensei!" Naruto shouted.

"Did you just call me 'Jiraya-sensei?' What happened to _Ero-sennin?"_ Jiraiya replied with a grin.

"Well, everything has changed since your fight with Pain." Naruto solemnly stated.

"I know that many things have changed, that's why I'm here." Jiraiya replied while handing Naruto the second half of a pair of popsicle sticks. Naruto smiled and gratefully took the offer.

"So, why are you here?" Naruto asked.

"I'm here to help you with your girl problems." Jiraiya replied with a grin. "So, tell me…Did you fall for that Second Tsunade?!" he asked while jabbing Naruto with his elbow.

"N-Not really…" Naruto replied nervously. "Or more specifically, I've had a change of heart. You see…"

"You're thinking about confessing to that girl that stood up for you during your fight with Pain?"

"Y-yeah. How do I go about it? How should I proceed?"

Naruto waited for a long moment before Jiraiya answered.

"I don't know." Jiraiya answered with a loud, hardy laugh.

"What the hell?! Then why are you here?!" Naruto shouted back.

"HEY! Is that the proper way to speak to your master?!"

"Uh..no. Sorry."

Naruto looked up at Jiraiya, whose Popsicle was now just a stick that hung out of his mouth.

"I'll tell you what you're father believes, it's overused…but it still rings true." Jiraiya closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "He says 'just keep true to your heart, and believe in yourself.' It's what you'd find in a cheesy romance novel, but it worked for him."

"A cheesy romance novel? Like yours?" Naruto replied with a joking grin on his face.

"Just like mine!" Jiraiya replied with an even larger grin.

Naruto extended his hand, Jiraiya accepted it with his own and pulled Naruto to his feet.

"This is the last time I'll see you, Naruto."

"Y-yeah, I know."

"Make sure you take care of Konoha."

"Definitely."

"Great! Now then, I'm off to see my other apprentice…and his lovely wife." Jiraiya stated.

"You're other apprentice? My father?"

"That's right! I'll be sure to tell him all about you…even though I suspect he already knows what great things you've done."

"T-Thank you for everything…Jiraya-sensei!" Naruto shouted as Jiraiya turned around and began to walk away.

Jiraiya lifted one thumb up, acknowledging Naruto's thanks, gradually, he disappeared into the landscape.

A single tear fell from Naruto's eye as he realized this was his final goodbye.

* * *

Extra points if you noticed the shot that I took at myself in this chapter.

Thanks for reading!


	3. Comrades & Confessions

I love breaking the fourth wall.

With two major stories floating around in my head, I'll update on Saturdays and Sundays.

Thanks for reading and reviewing! I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**CHAPTER RATING: T**

* * *

**Episode 3: Comrades & Confessions**

Naruto opened his eyes and wiped away a tear streaking down his cheek as the sun's light filled his room.

_Keep true to your heart and believe in yourself, huh?_ _What kind of advice is that?_

He shook his head, cleared his vision and sat up. Before he headed towards the bathroom, he set a kettle on the stove and set out a cup of ramen on his kitchen table.

_There's got to be something I can do._ He thought as he stepped into the shower.

_But what can I do? Is it too late? Did I make a mistake by waiting this long? Does she still feel the same way?_ He spent countless minutes trying to determine his course of action; but still had not come up with a plan. Entering his kitchen, he poured the boiling water into the cup of ramen before wrapping it up and letting it cook. A knock at the door interrupted his daily routine.

"Sai? What are you doing here? You've never come to my house before." Naruto stated. Sai extended his hand forward.

"Naruto, this is a thank you." Sai replied

"A thank you? What do you mean?" Naruto replied while extending his own hand and grasping Sai's.

"Thank you for teaching me what the word 'friend' meant."

"Sai, I don't understand, why does this matter so much to you?"

"Naruto, I've been called back to ANBU Root. I don't know when I'll be back…It's possible that I won't be back. Thank you for teaching me what 'friend' meant, and thank you for teaching me about bonds. It's because of you that I found who I really was. It was an honor to have been part of Team Kakashi."

"Sai…" Naruto took hold of Sai's shoulder with a firm grip. "Once you're a part of Team Kakashi, you're always a part of Team Kakashi. You'll be back one day. I know it." Sai's expression shifted into a smile.

"Thank you, Naruto."

…

_So…Sai's leaving? Once he does that, it means that our team is only a three man team. Who's going to replace him? I guess we'll find out soon enough._

Sai had informed Naruto that since he was leaving for Root, there would be a new teammate announced. He was supposed to meet Kakashi just outside of their old training grounds.

_I wonder who it is._

Naruto arrived to the clearing, and stopped in front of the three posts that he had seen so long ago; next to the posts, there stood Kakashi and Sakura.

"Kakashi-sensei! Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted while rushing towards them. "Do you know who the new member of our team is?!"

Sakura shook her head.

"I know who it is." Kakashi answered. "She's just not here yet. Just be patient. She'll be here soon."

"You know who it is? Then you can tell us, can't you?" Sakura said

"Do you want a hint?" Kakashi asked

Both Naruto and Sakura nodded.

"You both know her very well."

From out of the forest, they saw a figure approaching. The first thing that they noticed was a lavender sweatshirt.

"HINATA?!" Naruto silently screamed. Naruto shot a look of disbelief at Kakashi, who returned his death stare with a blissfully ignorant smile. Sakura immediately took off running towards Hinata and hugged her.

"Hinata! You're part of our team now?" Sakura asked. Hinata nodded with a smile on her face.

"It's so good to have you as a part of our team! It'll be just like when we had to accompany Amaru!" She looked back at Naruto with a smile. "Right, Naruto?"

In response, he nodded with a nervous smile. Kakashi gave him a slight push, urging him forward.

"Go ahead, Naruto. Welcome Hinata to our team." Kakashi told him. Naruto walked up to Hinata with a tense look in his eyes. He extended his hand towards her.

"H-Hinata. Welcome to Team Kakashi." He said with a smile. She extended her hand and gently gripped his.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun." She said with a slight tint of red in her cheeks. "I hope you'll take care of me."

"I promise. I will." Naruto replied, slightly blushing as the words left his mouth. His tone caused Sakura to raise an eyebrow and look at Kakashi, who returned her look with his blank expression.

Sakura jumped between them with her hands on their shoulders, she slightly pulled them apart.

"Why don't we go out to eat?!" she shouted with a wide smile.

"Y-yeah, that's alright. I can't. You guys go ahead…I still have something that I need to do." Naruto replied. He turned around and began to head in the opposite direction of the village. Kakashi nodded to Sakura and followed Naruto.

"So, I guess it's just you and me, Hinata. How do you feel about Barbeque?" Sakura asked. Hinata nodded.

"T-Thank you, Sakura-san."

"Great! Let's go." Sakura said as she began to lead Hinata towards the village.

Hinata looked back towards Naruto as she walked with Sakura, joy and concern shown in her eyes.

…

Kakashi placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"What's wrong?" He asked. Naruto pushed away Kakashi's hand.

"Kakashi-sensei, isn't it just an **AMAZING** coincidence that just yesterday, I told **you** that I've started to have feelings for Hinata..And now, Sai's left the team and the one person to take his place is Hinata?!" Naruto shouted as he approached a ledge and sat down.

"Are you angry?" Kakashi bluntly asked as he took a seat next to Naruto.

Naruto sat silently for a moment before answering.

"...not really." He said as he brought his knees up and buried his face in his arms.

"Then what's the problem?" Kakashi asked innocently. Naruto gave him a look of disbelief and scorn.

"Kakashi-sensei, I'm now in a team with one woman that I used to love and now the one woman that I do love. How do you **expect** me to react?!"

Kakashi sat on the ledge and didn't answer for a long time. Naruto rested his head in his arms again.

"Naruto. Do you remember what I told you, Sasuke, and Sakura on that day?"

Naruto's head lifted up.

"You said…" Naruto took a deep breath. "…Those Shinobi who disobey the rules are trash, but…"

"…Those who forsake your comrades are lower than trash." Kakashi finished.

"So, what? What does that have to do with **ANYTHING**?!" Naruto shouted.

Kakashi pulled Naruto's shoulder and looked at him with fierce eyes.

"You care about Sakura, don't you?!" He loudly questioned.

"Yeah."

"You love Hinata, don't you?!"

"Y-yeah…" Naruto replied. Kakashi gently shook Naruto.

"Would you sacrifice them for anything?!"

"O-Of course not!" Naruto answered.

Kakashi smiled as Naruto's face calmed down to a realization.

"That's right. That's what I thought about you." Kakashi said while patting Naruto's back. He extended his hand and pulled Naruto to his feet.

"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei."

…

Hinata and Sakura sat in a booth with green cushions and inlaid grills on tables at one of the most favored restaurants in Konoha, Yakiniku Q, both holding small bowls with an assortment of food on the table.

Before Hinata or Sakura were able to start eating, Hinata posed a question.

"Sakura-san…can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, Hinata. What is it?" Sakura replied.

"Sakura-san…Do you have someone that you love?" Hinata asked with her face hidden

"W-well…" Sakura replied

"Did you find a way to confess to him?"

"No. Unfortunately, I don't think it would happen. But I'm okay with that, because I'm sure that **I have already confessed to him in another universe.**

"In **another universe?** What do you mean?" Hinata asked in confusion.

"I mean, I'm fine with just being friends with him." Sakura replied.

"I see."

"So, what is it that you needed to ask me about?"

"W-well, if you did confess to him. What would you say? What would you do to have him _acknowledge_ you?"

Sakura sat in thought for a minute, thinking about how she would go about with a confession.

"If I were you, I would be bolder. You are too timid, Hinata. Take the initiative. If he doesn't know you're there, you'll have to _make_ him know that you're there. Do you understand?" Sakura asked.

Hinata nodded in understanding of the vague advice given to her by the emerald eyed Kunoichi.

"So…now that I have answered your question, will you answer mine?"

"S-sure."

"Who is it? Who's the lucky guy that will finally have to acknowledge you?"

"N-Naruto." Hinata whispered. Sakura's eyes widened, then smiled.

"I'm so happy for you, Hinata. Naruto will really take care of you. I know it."

"T-Thank you very much, Sakura-san."

Hinata held up her right hand, a waiter walked over and stood by her.

"Yes, miss. How can I help you?" he asked.

"I'd like to take another order of this, to go please." Hinata said while pointing to an order on the menu.

"We'll have it to you as soon as possible."

"Thank you."

* * *

**Extra Points** if you caught the reference to my other story.


	4. His Answer

Now, I must warn you, M chapters will usually contain lemon.

So…there ya go.

Thanks for reading and reviewing! I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**CHAPTER RATING: M**

* * *

**Episode 4: His Answer**

_What would I even say to her?_

Naruto thought to himself as he felt the warm water stream down his body.

_What would I do, if I was given the chance to finally admit what I really felt?...If only there was an opportunity._

He turned the knob and felt the water slowly subside as the shower turned off. Stepping out of the bathroom, he dressed himself in a simple black T-shirt and light blue boxers shorts. He took a seat on his bed, with his mind still occupied with the somewhat strange, awkward and yet, wonderful news about Hinata being the new addition to Team Kakashi. There he sat, staring blankly at the wooden floor.

Until a ring interrupted his thoughts and shook him back to reality.

He jumped at the sound, took one deep breath and headed towards the door. Slowly, he opened it, his eyes noticing the color of light lavender and dark blue. His eyes stared blankly at her as he realized it was Hinata. For what seemed like ages, he blankly stared into her eyes with his. Once he grasped his bearings, he shook his head.

"Hinata? What are you doing here?" He asked. Hinata's face was visibly red as she replied.

"N-Naruto-kun, you weren't there to eat with us, so I brought you something to eat. I also have something that I need to talk to you about." She held out a plastic bag, being weighted down by a Styrofoam package. A smile came to his face at the thought of her kind gesture.

"Thanks, Hinata. Come in, take a seat, I'll be back as soon as I put this away." he asked. She slightly hesitated at his offer, but then remembered Sakura's words.

_If I were you, I'd be bolder_

With a simple nod, she stepped into his house and followed Naruto to the couch, where he set the food down on the table, and sat down. Hinata sat down beside him.

He slightly moved away as she took her seat. Blood was rushing to his face. Here he was, his feelings are clear, this was his chance! But at the same time, he had the hardest time saying what he felt. Hinata moved closer to him.

"So, what is it, Hinata?" He asked with his face still hidden from her view. She brought her hand and rubbed it against his. He offered no reaction.

"Naruto-kun, do you remember?" she asked while her hand came closer to his and gently grasped it. The warmth that he felt caused him to look up.

"Yeah, I remember, you were the only one to stand by my side. I remember, and I will never forget." Her hand tightened around his as a smile appeared on her face; with a strong grip, she pulled him up to his feet. Still somewhat caught off-guard, Naruto effortlessly followed as she led him towards his bedroom.

"Do you remember what I said?" She asked while staring deeply into his eyes. His eyes open as he recalled the event. Her hands moved up his shoulders and lightly grasped his hair.

"I love you." He recalled. She pulled him closer with ease; there was no resistance from him as she came closer. Their eyes closed simultaneously as he felt her soft lips on his.

"Do you…?" she whispered softly while pulling away.

"…I do." he answered back. Hinata pulled him closer and kissed him again. He felt her tongue pushing against his. She moaned softly under her breath as he lowered her down onto his bed; with their lips still locked, his right hand began to unzip her jacket. It seemed as if time had frozen as he listened to each seam separate.

Hinata's jacket opened and fell to her sides. Her muscles tensed as Naruto slid his hand down her body, feeling every gentle curve; his fingers ran down her body, rubbing across every nerve to her stomach. The contact sent intense pulses through her body. He suddenly stopped and broke their embrace.

"Are you sure about this, Hinata?" he whispered.

She didn't answer him.

Instead, she pulled his lips to hers and pushed her tongue against his, and grabbed his hand guiding it further down. Naruto could feel how wet she had become as his hand slid into her pants and under her panties. His thumb and index finger gently wrapped around her clitoris and moved with a slow rhythm as he caressed it; smoothly he moved his fingers into her. Hinata could feel every slight movement that he made; every small twitch brought with it a sensation of intense pleasure.

She broke away from him with a strong gasp for air as her muscles tightened and she felt a shock of ecstasy echo through her body. Naruto smiled as he saw her reaction.

However; He didn't expect what happened next.

Her aggressiveness both surprised, and aroused him.

Hinata swiftly shot up and pushed him onto his back. Once again, he felt her tongue gently rubbing against his; his senses heighted at this contact with her. Slowly, he felt a pressure press against his chest and move down. She ran her hand down the length of his body, stopped at his pelvis, and began to slowly rub her hand against his erection.

Fabric began to move down his legs, Hinata let his boxers float down to the floor. Her jacket slid off her shoulders; as Naruto supported himself on his elbows, he saw what was perhaps the most beautiful sight was in his entire life.

Her shining pale skin was flawless, only complimented by the dark hue of her long, flowing hair. For a moment, he froze in amazement of the beauty that was in front of him. His senses only snapped him back to reality when he felt Hinata's breasts wrap around him.

His elbows began to buckle as her breasts moved in a slow, smooth rhythm. He could feel his blood rushing as she began to move at a quicker pace. She could feel every pulse that surged through his body. He let out a deep gasp as he felt his climax; at that exact moment, Hinata took him into her mouth, and felt every sensation that echoed through his muscles.

Before his eyes even had the chance to opened, Hinata had already straddled him and slowly lowered herself onto him; they both let out gasps of ecstasy as she took him in.

The pleasure that shocked her nerves was so immense that almost immediately, she fell over on top of him. He caught her and gently let her down onto his chest.

"A-Are you alright, Hinata?" he asked. She slowly nodded while wrapping her arms around him; a cold sensation assaulted his back as he felt her fingers. His hands found themselves on her hips. Hinata pulled him closer while lifting her own hips; his hands guided her movements. With every thrust came another desperate gasp for air. She started in a smooth motion, but soon moved at a speed that he had never experienced. In one final motion, Hinata pushed down onto Naruto, fully taking him in, and pulled him in for another kiss. He felt her tongue push itself deep into his mouth as their bodies rumbled in climax.

Hinata slowly broke from his lips and slowly laid her head down next to his; breathing heavily, she whispered into his ear.

"I love you, Naruto-kun."

"I love you, Hinata."

* * *

Man, writing two stories is hard, I'm starting to get these events mixed up.

I just want to say that I really do appreciate people reading what I'm writing.

But please remember that even though I enjoy writing these, this isn't paying the bills.

So, as much as I want to say that I will be updating every weekend, I probably won't be able to do so for EVERY WEEK.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you look forward to Chapter 5.


	5. Fire & Water

Thank you all for the reviews, favorites and follows! It encourages me to write even more.

**CHAPTER RATING: T**

* * *

**Episode 5: Emissary, Part I: Fire & Water**

The sun rose in the early morning, beams of light streamed through the blinds of Naruto's bedroom. In the faint light of the rising sun, Hinata still slept, her head resting on a pillow as Naruto sat on a chair in the kitchen.

His hands were gripping his head like a vice, refusing to let go.

_What the hell did I just do last night?_ He panicked.

_If anyone ever finds out about this…_

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata shouted while sitting upright on his bed. He stood and walked back towards her.

"Hey, Hinata…" he said in a somber tone. He bent over and handed Hinata's jacket to her. She held his blanket against her body and took her jacket back. He sat down on the bed with his back turned to her.

"Hinata, what happened last night…I'm not sure about…"

She moved closer and wrapped her arms around him. He could feel her breath on his neck; he could feel the heat of her body on his back.

"You said that you loved me." She whispered.

"I meant what I said." He answered back "I just don't know how people would react if they knew what happened. What would Neji say? Sakura? Even your father, what would they say?"

She smiled, wrapped her arms around him tighter, and rested her head on his shoulder.

"If you don't want to tell anyone about us, then I won't tell anyone either. But one day, they will have to acknowledge the love that we have. And they will have to accept it." She smiled.

A knock came at the door, breaking their connection. His head jerked as he stood up. As he exited the doorway, he turned around and looked back at Hinata. He placed his finger over his nose and mouth, signaling her to stay quiet.

"Sakura-chan? What are you doing here?" Naruto asked. Sakura stepped into the house and closed the door.

"Naruto, do you know where Hinata is?" Sakura asked.

"Uhh…W-Well…" He stuttered. Sakura began to wander through his house without letting him finish. His heart was racing.

She stopped right next to the doorway of his room. She looked over into the kitchen, and saw a Styrofoam package sitting inside a plastic bag.

Then, Sakura turned around and looked into his room. Her eyes were popping out of their sockets at what she saw.

_Oh…Shit._ Naruto panicked.

All three of them froze in place.

Sakura swiftly turned around and delivered a crushing blow to his stomach.

"S-Sakura-san?!" Hinata shouted. Naruto fell to his knees from the pain that rocked his midsection. Sakura grabbed his collar with both hands and shook him vigorously.

"NARUTO! YOU ANIMAL! YOU DISGUSTING EXCUSE FOR A HUMAN BEING! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HINATA?!" She shouted. "I'LL…I'LL KILL YOU!" She raised her fist high in the air.

Hinata jumped at the sight, she rushed to Sakura and grabbed her arm.

"Sakura-san, wait!" Hinata shouted. "Nothing happened last night!" Sakura abruptly let go of Naruto's collar, and let him fall to the floor.

"What do you mean, nothing happened? Are you trying to cover up for him?!" she glared at him again

Naruto was on the floor, heavily exhaling as the pain that still resounded through his body.

"Sakura-san, please don't tell anyone." Hinata begged.

Sakura slightly flinched.

"Fine. I won't." she grabbed Naruto's and dragged him back to his feet. "I don't know how anyone else will feel about this. But…As long as nothing bad happened, I'm fine with this."

"T-Thanks." Naruto murmured while coming to his feet. "So…why are you here?"

"I was sent here because I was worried about Hinata." She answered back before adding "Naruto, we also have a new mission, Tsunade-sama asked that you go meet her for a mission briefing."

"I'll get on that as soon as I can." Naruto answered.

"While you do that, Hinata, come with me!" Sakura grabbed Hinata's hand and dragged her out of the door.

Naruto sighed as he watched them leave. "Will we really be able to keep this from everyone?"

…

"Naruto, you're here." Tsunade said when he entered the room.

"Yeah, Sakura-chan told me that there was a mission I needed to be briefed on, what is it?"

"Your new mission is to go to the Land of Water. You are being sent as an emissary to the Mizukage, deliver a trade agreement between the two villages, and make sure it gets signed."

"A trade agreement? What kind of lame mission is that?" he replied with his head resting in his arms.

"Listen, I don't have time for this. You know better than anyone that we're in desperate need of architects and supplies after the devastation that Pain inflicted on the village!"

"R-right. Sorry. Okay, I understand. Who's going with me?"

"Your team will be standing at the gates, ready to leave as soon as you meet with them. This is very important, Naruto. We really need this agreement to go through. For the good of the village"

"I understand." He nodded with sincerity in his eyes. "I will be sure to complete this mission. No matter what happens."

He turned and walked out the door.

…

"Nothing happened between you two?" Sakura said while suspiciously eying Hinata. "Are you **SURE** that he didn't take advantage of you?!" Sakura asked.

Both Kunoichi stood at the front gates of Konoha.

"S-Sakura-san." Hinata confidently stated. "Don't you remember how I asked you for advice on how to confess to Naruto-kun…?"

Sakura nodded.

"W-Well, what do you think I did last night?" Hinata said while hiding her face.

"…" Sakura was speechless as her mouth hung wide open.

Hinata nodded with blood rushing to her face.

"I was very bold. He didn't expect it. But I think he liked it." She stated with a smile. Sakura stood still with pure shock in her eyes.

"Yo, Hinata, Sakura. How are you two?" Kakashi's voice asked.

"Very well, Kakashi-sensei." Hinata answered. Sakura snapped out of her trance and replied with in a similar fashion.

"Good. Today we're going on a new mission. Naruto should be here any minute. But while we're waiting, let me explain the situation." Kakashi shut his book and stuffed it in his back pocket.

"We're heading towards the Land of Water. Hokage-sama wants to establish a trade agreement between the two countries. We really do need help with supplies. And as we learned." He motioned at Sakura. "The Land of Water has some great architects. We'll need them to help with rebuilding."

"Understood." Hinata and Sakura nodded. They were briefed just in time to see Naruto walking towards them from behind Kakashi.

"Hinata! Sakura-chan! Kakashi-sensei!" he shouted while rushing towards them. Hinata took off and met him half-way; she embraced him heartily, stopping him in his tracks. He looked at Kakashi and Sakura, offering a nervous smile, and wrapped his hands around Hinata, quickly returned her embrace.

"H-Hey, Hinata. How have you been?"

"Better, now that you're here."

Sakura and Kakashi walked up to the couple.

"Okay, are you all ready to head out? The sooner we finish this mission, the better."

Hinata let go of Naruto and turned around, she nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah, let's get going." Naruto added.

Hinata took hold of Naruto's arm as Kakashi and Sakura lead the way out of Konoha's main gate.


	6. Non-Combat Application

**CHAPTER RATING: T**

…

**Episode 6: Emissary, Part II: Non-Combat Application**

The team of four walked down a winding dirt road into the shaded forests of Konoha. Ahead of them, they saw a group of villagers cutting down trees, clearing the forest. As they began to pass by, an elderly man walked up to them.

"E-Excuse me!" he called out to Kakashi. "You're Shinobi from Konoha, aren't you?"

"Yes, we are. What seems to be the problem?" Kakashi replied.

"We need help clearing this area for a new roadside inn that we're planning to build; we would really appreciate it if you could help us."

Kakashi looked over at the three.

They smiled and nodded.

"Alright, we'll do our best."

All four shinobi grabbed axes and saws, they began to hack and cut their way through the massive trunks of the lumbering trees that inhabited the forest. Ten minutes into the activity, Naruto voiced his complaints.

"This is too slow, there has to be another way to do this." He dropped his axe and began to think.

"Naruto, just get back to work." Kakashi pleaded.

"I've got it!" Naruto exclaimed. "_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"_ Two shadow clones appeared in front of him. He held out his right hand as they began to shuffle their hands around his palm. A low screeching sound began to emanate from his palm, he raised it up and it took the form of a giant, white shuriken, spinning in place at a great speed.

"_Fūton: Rasenshuriken_" (**Wind Release: Spiraling Shuriken**). He swung his arm forward and let the disc of energy loose. It swirled with incredible velocity, and ripped through the trunks of multiple trees as if they were wet pieces of paper, they fell to the ground with a loud impact, creating a giant dust cloud. He turned and smiled at his comrades.

"That's kind of over doing it, but it is the fastest way to do it…" Kakashi looked over at Hinata and Sakura and nodded. "Why not?"

He formed seals with his hands and drew his arm down.

"_Raikiri_!" Lightning began to form around his hand; electric chirping began to emitt from his fist as he held it down. He crouched and quickly took off, running his electrified hand across the width of multiple trees, the wood cracked and crumbled behind him as the trees fell.

Sakura and Hinata looked at each other, shrugged and moved to chop down trees themselves.

Sakura began by focuses chakra into her limbs, her feet and hands soon resembled blue blades that could cut with extreme precision. She lifted her right leg and sent a kick across the trunk of a tree, letting her momentum carry through; she sliced through another trunk with her other leg. The cuts were so precise, that the trees didn't even fall; they just sat on top of their disconnected trunks.

Hinata took in a deep breath, pulled her arms to her sides and began to focus her chakra into her hands.

"_Jūho Sōshiken!_" two fearsome lion heads began to form around her enclosed fists, they glowed with a strong sapphire hue. Hinata began to move as if in a dance, the lions in her hands leaving streams of chakra in their wake as they moved with her. She glided across the ground with circular motions, constantly moving her feet and sending blows into the trees that immediately ran through the entire trunk.

Naruto paused and glanced over at her; blankly, he stared as she moved, following the string of chakra that emitted from the lion heads that surrounded her fists. Hinata made one final movement, she extended her arms to her sides and opened her palms, the lion heads shot away from her hands and bit through the any object that stood in their way.

They fully detached themselves from her hands and dissipated into thin air. She turned to Naruto and smiled. His mouth hung wide open at the sight he had just witnessed. The spectacle was emphasized with a great crash that resulted from the trees being cut down, and the dust that shot up from the dirt.

Hinata emerged from the dust cloud to stares of awe.

"Hinata! That was amazing!" Naruto screamed out as he ran to hug her. "I had no idea how powerful you were!" Hinata returned his embrace by wrapping her arms around him.

"T-Thank you, Naruto-kun."

"How did you do that?" Kakashi asked.

"I combined my _Jūho Sōshiken_, with _Hakke Kūshō_ to launch the chakra from my hands." Hinata answered

"That's…that's impressive." Kakashi praised her.

"I've never seen that before, Hinata. When did you learn how to do that?" Sakura asked.

"I learned when Neji-niisan was training me."

The villagers who were drowning in the sweat from their labors were in awe. They dropped their tools, jaws on the ground, eyes popping out.

"Well, well. That was very impressive. YOU SEE!" he shouted to his laborers. "If you were all shinobi, this job would be a lot easier!" he laughed heartily. "Great, now we just have to trim and move all of these trees!"

"I'm on it!" Naruto shouted. "_Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"_ hundreds of shadow clones appeared behind him.

"Everyone! We're going to trim and move these trees, ready?!"

Every clone cheered.

Hours later, there sat a giant triangular pile of massive tree trunks next to a giant mass of trimmed branches and leaves.

And next to that, was an extremely exhausted shinobi in a black and orange tracksuit.

"Thank you very much." The old man said to Kakashi. "Something for your troubles." He handed Kakashi four burlap pouches. "payment for helping us today, regular pay, plus bonuses."

"Thank you. It was our pleasure to help you out." Kakashi replied.

"There's a small hot spring inn down this way. It's quite far, but it's a good place to relax and heal your wounded." He pointed at Naruto's dazed body laying on the ground. "Enjoy your journey."

"Best of luck." Kakashi said while walking back towards Naruto.

Sakura and Hinata took Naruto by his arms and carried him on their shoulders. He stepped slowly with their movements as they dragged him along.

* * *

It was a little short, 1,030 words, but it accomplished what it set out to do without too much fluff.

Two stories on the same day, won't be submitting anything on Sunday, I think I'll take a break for a week also.

Thanks for reading!


	7. An Unclear Dream

The "Choose Your Own Adventure" transition seems to be well received.

**NH Yes**: 27 Votes

**NH No:** 3 Votes

Thanks for sending in the emails! I know I said I was going to take a break, but this new turn of events has me too excited to not write.

**CHAPTER RATING: T**

* * *

**Episode 7: Emissary, Part III: An Unclear Dream**

The trio arrived at the aforementioned Hot Spring inn that was a few miles down the road. Kakashi lead the way into the main hall, followed by Sakura and Hinata, both supporting an exhausted Naruto on their shoulders.

"Welcome!" An elderly woman greeted them.

"Hello, we'd like four separate rooms, please." Kakashi said while placing money on the counter.

"Right away!" The woman cried.

She spared a look of concern at Naruto.

"Is he alright?" she asked

"He's fine. He's got a lot more stamina than most people, he just needs to rest." The woman smiled and shouted:

"Ayumi! Come here, we've got customers!" From behind the main desk, a tall woman with long brown hair stepped through the short curtain that hung onto the ceiling.

"What is it, Grandmother?" The young woman asked.

"Show these people where they will be spending the night."

She led them to the east side of the building, and showed each of them their rooms.

"The hot springs are on the other side of the building. Please tell me if you need anything else, don't forget, my name is Ayumi."

Kakashi nodded his understanding to her as she smiled and walked away. He turned to Sakura and Hinata.

"You two can go relax, I'll watch over him until he wakes up." They laid him down onto the bed, smiled, and entered their own rooms.

Kakashi could hear them talking to each other as they walked down the hall.

"Well, Naruto. I wonder what would you do in this situation?"

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his copy of _Make-Out Paradise_.

"Book one, Page one. Time to start over."

…

Hinata and Sakura slowly entered the hot spring pools. They sat next to each other, both facing the edge of the pool. They relaxed, letting the pain in their bodies soak away.

"Hinata, what you did today was awesome." Sakura abruptly brought up.

"T-Thank you, Sakura-san." Hinata quietly answered.

"Can I show you something, tell me what you think."

"Okay."

Sakura brought her hands together to form seals: _Dragon, Snake, Bird_. A loose rock broke away from the surrounding boulders and flew towards Sakura's open palm.

She set the rock down in front of her and raised her fist.

"SHANARO!" Sakura screamed as she brought her fist down onto the rock, which seemingly disappeared into a fine cloud of dust.

"Wow! Sakura-san, that's amazing! Where did you learn how to do that?"

Sakura dipped her gravel covered fist into the warm waters of the pool to clean it.

"I developed the technique a few weeks ago while Kakashi-sensei was training me."

"How did you do that? I'd like to know."

Sakura formed the seals again: _Dragon, Snake, Bird._ Another small rock broke away, Sakura moved further into the pool with the stone in her hand. She turned and faced Hinata.

Slowly bringing her hand down in a punching motion, she began to explain.

"Every time you strike an object, a shock wave is sent through that object." She slowly motioned her fist down, lightly tapping the rock with her knuckles. "The shock wave is caused by the resistance of an object."

Sakura bent her knuckles and lightly tapped the rock again.

"If I strike the rock at the right moment, the second strike meets no resistance; the two impacts meet in the middle, and pulverize the rock."

She raised her hand again, and brought it down. Hinata focused on Sakura's hand with her Byakugan. As Sakura's hand came down initially, she struck the rock; Sakura then bent her knuckles down and struck the rock again, another wave of impact shot through it. Hinata saw the waves clash in the center of the rock and rumble outward.

The stone then turned into a cloud of grey dust.

"Sakura-san! That's amazing!"

Sakura smiled and dipped her hand into the pool again.

"I'll have to show Naruto some time."

"Just…please, don't strike Naruto-kun with it."

"I promise, I won't."

…

Naruto began to stir. Kakashi lowered his book.

"I told you not to overdo it." Kakashi told Naruto with a smile.

"Where are we?" Naruto asked.

"We're at that Hot Spring inn that the old man told us about."

"Where are Sakura and Hinata?"

"In the hot springs."

"Ah." Naruto stood up and began to walk towards the door.

"Naruto, you aren't going to do anything you'll regret are you?" Kakashi asked while suspiciously eyeing him.

"Kakashi-sensei, who do you think I am?" he replied with a smile. Kakashi held up _Make-out Paradise_.

"You're the apprentice of the man who wrote _this._"

"Kakashi-sensei, Do you know that there are only two times that Jiraiya-sensei almost died? One time, he was fighting me while I was in the nine-tails form. The other time-"

"He was attacked by Hokage-sama while peeping on her during her time in a hot spring."

Naruto nodded.

"I don't plan on having two women kill me tonight, Kakashi-sensei." He said with a smile. "But in this case, I think Hinata would be the one who lands the first punch." His smile widened.

Kakashi smiled at Naruto as he walked out the door.

"It's good to hear that, Naruto."

He found himself alone in the thermal pool, tuning himself out and staring into the star filled sky. He closed his eyes and listened to the sounds that were happening around him.

He sat still.

Completely still.

Orange lines began to form around his eyes, and his pupils began to flatten. He could feel everything around him, sensing everyone and hearing everything.

Focusing his mind, he heard Sakura and Hinata speaking about pulverizing a rock. He focused in even more, and he began to see and sense the movement of their chakra. He saw Sakura moving her hand up and down and finally saw it crash against a rock. He could feel every particle of the stone spread as it dissipated into the air.

He leaned his head back and relaxed.

_This isn't the same this as peeping, is it?_

He waited until they left before he began to walk back to his room.

…

That night, while Naruto slept, he began to dream.

He could hear a woman's voice echoing and stuttering like a broken record.

_Naru-kn-…h-his…n-ne-v-v…regr…pro..mi..e_

_Apolo…gize…I-…sorry…forg-…me?_

He could almost make out who she was; he could see her face and hair. but her image was broken as a wave of static ripped through her in his mind.

_L-Lie…to…yo-…all…th-…tim…_

_Plea-…for….me._

_B-but…I…me-…it…_

_I…_

He shot up in a cold sweat, eyes widened in surprise and confusion. He held his hand up to his face, panting in quick and shallow breaths.

_What…What was that?_

* * *

**A/N:**

A) If Naruto decides to dwell on the dream and tries figure out its meaning, send the word "**Vision**" as the subject line to _wanderingrurouni at hotmail dot com_

B) If Naruto decides to try and forget the dream, send the word "**Nightmare**" as the subject line to _wanderingrurouni at hotmail dot com_

Voting ends on Sunday, September 1st

Thanks for reading and participating!


	8. Vision

**Vision**: 19 Votes

**Nightmare:** 5 Votes

There's a pretty large margin, and I don't think it'll change in the next 7 hours, so here it is early.

_**HOLY SMOKES**!_ 5,800+ Views, 16 Reviews, 27 Favorites, 33 Followers, AND 2 COMMUNITIES?! (when did that happen?)

Thank you!

**CHAPTER RATING: T**

* * *

**Episode 8: Emissary, Part IV: Vision**

Naruto sat up from his dream.

_What…What was that…?_ He held his head in his hands.

_What did I see? Come on, remember._

He stood up and changed into his normal clothes. Pulling a pen out of a drawer, he grabbed a piece of paper.

_I'm out for a walk, I need to clear my head. Be back soon._

He folded the parchment and placed it on his pillow. After he exited his room, he turned towards the exit.

"Where are you going, young man?" The elderly woman at the front asked. He let out a breath and smiled while turning around.

"Obaa-san." Naruto said with a smile. "Thank you for taking care of me, if you see anyone ask for me, could you tell them that I'm going for a walk?"

"Of course I can, aren't you the boy who was dead tired when he came in with that group of people?"

"Yeah, that was me, if you see them; please just tell them that I need some time to clear my head."

"I will," she said with a smile. "You take care of yourself now." Naruto nodded and exited out of the inn. He walked down the lone dirt road in the quiet evening.

_What was that…I saw…_

He took a deep breath, and began to walk through the forest. In the calm of the night, he searched his thoughts as best he could.

_What was it that she said?_ His mind raced as it recalled the words of the mysterious figure.

_Naru-…I know…hi-his…history…never…regret…p-pro-promise._

His head slightly ached as he tried to piece together her words. He grasped his head in his hands. He gently rubbed his temples as his mind raced. He continued to walk through the peace that the quiet night offered him, and took a seat on the edge of a cliff that overlooked a valley.

_Apologize…I'm…sorry…Forgive me?_

_What does this all mean?_ He thought to himself. He focused his mind, trying to recreate her image that was broken by the haze of his dream.

…

Hinata turned in her sleep. She turned towards the door and opened her eyes.

Something wasn't right.

She put on her clothes and walked over to Naruto's room and gently knocked on the door.

"Naruto-kun…?" she quietly said while opening the door. A stream of light entered his room as she peeked in. The beam of light grew when she fully opened the door. She was greeted by nothing but a bed with a folded piece of paper on the pillow.

_What's this?_ She took a seat on his bed and folded open the note.

"I'm out for a walk. I need to clear my head. Be back soon." She turned to notice a robe that sat was folded and set on a chair. In a rush, she sprinted down to the main desk to the inn's exit.

"Where are you going, Miss?" The elderly lady interrupted Hinata's footfalls.

"Obaa-san, have you seen a blonde-haired man pass through here? Did he leave?" Hinata asked.

"Oh, him! He told me to tell anyone who asked about him that he's decided to clear his head."

"Which way did he go?"

"It sounded to me that he wanted to be left alone."

"I need to talk to him. I really do, please tell me where he went?"

"…It's fine, he went that way." She pointed to the right of the exit. "I don't know if you will be able to find him though, he left a while ago."

"Thank you, Obaa-san. I'll be able to find him." Hinata replied with confidence. The elderly woman smiled and waved as Hinata dashed out of the door.

_I know I'll be able to find him._

"Byakugan!" she whispered. Noticeable veins began to form around her eyes. She continuously scanned the horizon with her vision, waving her head from side to side.

_There he is._

…

_L-Lied…to…y-you…all…this…t-time._

He held his head in his hands and felt a droplet of water fall from his eye.

_Tears?...Why am I…_

He heard a rustling behind him and turned around.

"N-Naruto-kun?"

"H-Hinata? What are you doing here?" She walked up and sat down beside him.

"A-Are you feeling well? What's wrong?" Naruto's eyes flinched at her question.

"N-Nothing! Nothing's wrong." He smiled. She brought her hand to his cheek and wiped away the streak of liquid.

"Then why are you crying?" she asked; gently she clasp her hand on his cheek.

"…Just a weird dream. To be honest, I don't know why." She offered him a comforting smile, took hold of his head and brought his lips to hers. He closed his eyes as he felt the soft pressure. She slowly pulled him away.

"I'm here for you." She whispered.

"I know." He replied.

Across the horizon, an orange glow began to rise. Naruto brought himself closer to Hinata and wrapped her arm around her. She blushed as she brought her head and rested it on his shoulder.

Together, they watched a new day's dawn.

…

The next day, the new Team 7 was in the middle of a clearing; surrounding them were the trees of Konoha, streams of light broke through the thick canopy, creating specks of yellow light through the entire forest floor.

Kakashi signaled to the team.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Two shadow clones appeared beside Naruto. They nodded, each clone rushed towards Hinata and Sakura.

The first shadow clone jumped towards Hinata and delivered a kick that she blocked with her forearm; she smoothly slid down to his ankle and tossed him towards a tree. He flipped in the air and planted his feet into the tree itself; with his momentum he flew back towards her. She caught his arm and slammed him onto the ground, the clone disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

…

Naruto felt a pain rush to his mind.

…_Lied…to…you…a-all…t-this…time._

_Please…for-give…me._

Naruto rested his head in his hand again.

"Naruto! Are you alright?" Kakashi asked.

"Y-yeah, I'm alright." He replied.

…

The other shadow clone charged towards Sakura, doging her attacks the best way he could. He jumped up and brought his fist down, she delivered a leg sweep and knocked him over onto his back. She raised her fist and struck him down.

…

More pain shot through Naruto's head, his grasp tightened around his temples, he shot up to his feet, holding his head down.

"Hey, Naruto! What's wrong?!" Kakashi asked. Naruto didn't reply.

"Sakura, Hinata, that's it, something's wrong with Naruto!"

…

Memories raced through his head again

_But…I…mean it_

_I…_

…

His breathing became erratic, his heart rate increased.

"Hey! Naruto, calm down!" Kakashi held Naruto by his shoulders.

Naruto grasped his heart with his right hand.

…

_I mean it…_

_I…I love you._

…

"Sa-Sakura…"

His knees gave way, and he fell with a loud crash onto the forest floor.

* * *

No choices this week, there isn't really anywhere to go with this cliffhanger.

I know all of you NaruHina fans probably want to kill me, but please be patient, there's a pinnacle event that will occur in the story coming soon...and YOU get to decide what happens.

On one hand it's Romance/Drama, so please calm down.

On the other hand, if this turn of events has you emotionally involved then, I'm happy I was able to write it.

I also want to say that I won't be writing next week, so no chapters will be published until AT LEAST the second week of September.

Thanks for reading!

(please direct all hatemail to _wanderingrurouni at hotmail dot com)_


	9. The Mizukage's Conditions

I felt bad about ending one story with a choice, but another without one.

So, for all of you NaruHina fans that haven't sent me any hate mail… :D

Here's a short chapter that ends in a cliffhanger that you can vote on.

**CHAPTER RATING: T**

* * *

**Episode 9: Emissary, Part V: The Mizukage's Conditions**

Naruto's eyes blinked as he began to stir; his hand rubbed his eyes to clear his vision. The world slowly came into focus as he sat up.

"Awake? How are you feeling?" A voice came. Naruto sat up, pushing his back against a wall.

"Kakashi-sensei? What happened?" Naruto asked.

"You just fainted when we were in the middle of our training session, are you sure you're alright?" Kakashi asked with a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"I don't know, I don't even know why I-" he turned his head to the right and saw Hinata fast asleep on a couch. He gave Kakashi a puzzled look.

"She's been waiting for you to wake up for days, never left your side." He said with a smile. Naruto's expression eased with his explanation. "Now then, we need to get this straight. Why did you faint?"

"I-I don't know."

"Naruto…You started to experience pain when your shadow clones disappeared, what happened?"

Naruto took a deep breath.

"Kakashi-sensei, I had a weird dream. There was a woman who confessed her love to me." Kakashi nodded while listening.

"Your shadow clones remembered your dream, and when they disappeared, the dream became clearer to you."

Naruto nodded.

"I took a walk that night and tried to sort out my thoughts. I started to relive the dream, I could hear her voice speaking."

"What did she say?"

"She said: 'I've lied to you, all this time.' But in the end I heard her say 'I mean it…I love you.'…I don't know why I saw what I did."

"And? Do you know who this person was?" Naruto took a deep breath, brought his head up, looked at Kakashi and nodded.

"It was Sakura-chan." Kakashi heard a terrible desperation in his voice. "I-I don't know what to do…Kakashi-sensei, what does this mean?"

Kakashi tightened his grip on Naruto's shoulder. "It's not that there's something wrong up here." He pointed to Naruto's head.

"But something is confused, down here." He said with his hand pointing at Naruto's heart.

"Something in your heart is in conflict. If I could help, I would, but this type of struggle is something that you have to overcome by yourself."

"How would I even do that? How do I proceed from here?"

"Maybe you should talk to her some time. But now…"

Kakashi took Naruto's arm onto his shoulders and helped him to his feet.

The entrance to the room opened, three people came into Naruto's view.

"…It's up to you to negotiate the trade agreement terms with the Mizukage herself."

…

The trio that approached Naruto consisted of a woman with dark auburn hair, both covering part of her face and almost touching the floor as she walked towards him. She wore a blue dress.

_A very, VERY revealing blue dress._ Naruto thought

"Bow your head" Kakashi informed him with a whisper.

She was flanked by two men. On the left, a shy looking man, with blue hair, glasses and what looked like headphones. On the right was a man with a stern face and an eye patch.

"I see you've rested well, Uzumaki Naruto." He heard her say. "Did you enjoy your time here?" she asked.

"Well, to tell you the truth, I don't even know where I am." He said with a smile.

"You are in the Village of the Hidden Mist-Kirigakure. If I'm not wrong, you've been here before, the Great Naruto Bridge is the one monumental structure that connects our great nations."

Naruto nodded.

"How symbolic that you are also the one person who will connect our nations once again. Ao, help him up and follow me."

The man with the eye patch did as he was ordered to, he took Naruto from Kakashi and began to walk away.

"Wait-Kakashi-sensei…"

"Don't worry, I need to be here to watch over Hinata. I'll be in touch."

Naruto nodded as he was helped out of the room.

…

Naruto then found himself being dragged into another room. He was placed down onto a large bed with blue sheets.

"Ao, Chōjūrō, Leave us." The Mizukage ordered. Naruto sat dumfounded on the bed as the two left. The Mizukage pulled a chair up to him and sat in front of him.

"Now, Uzumaki Naruto, I know who you are, and what you've done. I even know why you were sent here to propose this trade agreement." He listened intently as she spoke.

"You are the hero of Konoha, you saved your comrades from death, and now you're in need of this country to help rebuild yours."

He smiled nervously as she gripped his hand tightly. She looked into his eyes and licked her lips.

"What sacrifices are you willing to make for your country?"

* * *

**A/N:**

If Naruto decides to give in to her conditions, send the phrase **"Calm Waters"** (without quotes) as the subject line to _wanderingrurouni at hotmail dot com._

If Naruto decides to refuse her conditions, send the phrase "**Eye of the Storm**" (without quotes) as the subject line to _wanderingrurouni at hotmail dot com._

**Voting Ends Sunday, September 8th**

I wanted to post this up for you all to be able to make a choice, but as I said last chapter, I won't submit any chapter until at least the **THIRD**(my mistake) week of September.

Thanks for reading!


	10. Eye of the Storm

**Calm Waters:** 27 Votes

**Eye of the Storm: **30 Votes

This one actually came pretty close. I'm pleasantly surprised.

Thank you all for voting!

**CHAPTER RATING: T**

* * *

**Episode 10: Emissary, Part VI: Eye of the Storm**

"What sacrifices are you willing to make for your country?" She asked him. The Mizukage moved closer to Naruto. In a confused state he stood speechless, unable to find a suiting reply to her question. He slowly dragged himself back with his hands.

"W-What do you mean?" he stuttered while inching backwards. She smiled slyly while looking into his eyes.

"All you have to do is spend a night with me. Once you do that, your country, your village will be rebuilt. And it will be even more glorious than it already was." She replied with a wink.

His thoughts raced at the consequences of the actions that he could possibly take. She began to move closer, hovering over him with every movement. He slowly backed away as she moved closer.

"No, I-I can't, if I did, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself…I can't do this, I can't hurt her, and I can't do this…not even for Konoha." He brought his hand up and pushed her back.

"It doesn't seem that way…" She replied loosely.

He returned her accusation with a confused look, until he diverted his eyes and realized where his hand was. Swiftly he jumped back further in surprise and shock. His elbows buckled and he fell flat onto his back.

"All you have to do is spend a night with me." She repeated while holding him down and moving closer.

…

"She asked us to leave…What do you think she's doing?" Chōjūrō asked Ao, they stood just outside of the room, tasked with guarding it, to ensure that no one entered the room to interrupt the "negotiations" between the two countries. Ao slightly flinched at Chōjūrō's question.

"I don't care what she's doing, stop being so nosy, it's none of our business." He gave Chōjūrō a look of disdain, as if the young man was so ignorant because he had asked such a stupid question. "You know that this is none of our business what goes on behind these doors. So, keep your curiosities to yourself."

Chōjūrō's diverted his eyes towards the ground at the scolding. He looked confused and frustrated.

"But what if something bad is happening, shouldn't we be there to keep her safe? We are her personal guards." He nudged Ao on with the truth.

"You…your just so damn nosy, aren't you?" He shrugged. Chōjūrō gave a small smile of confusion and innocence. "Fine, I'll take a look." He turned towards the door and used his Byakugan to peer through the walls.

Chōjūrō saw his eyes widen and his mouth drop open.

"What's wrong?" he asked Ao with desperation and worry.

Ao did not answer, instead, he took hold of the door knob and pushed his weight up against it, busting it open.

…

Hinata began to shift in her sleep as Kakashi watched over her. He smiled to her as she opened her eyes.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Hinata began, as she turned towards the other bed, she noticed that Naruto was missing. "Where did Naruto-"

"He's in an important meeting with the Mizukage, but he's fine. There's no need to worry about him. He knows how to take care of himself." He slightly bent over nearer to her. "There's something that you should know."

"What's that?" she asked.

"When Naruto woke up, I told him about how you were by his side this entire time. When I told him that, he smiled a genuine smile."

The new brought the same smile to Hinata's face. The news was interrupted by the sound of a loud bash that startled both of them.

* * *

**A/N**: I will now be referring to the Mizukage by her actual name: Mei Terumī, because it's very awkward constantly typing in a title and not her actual name.

* * *

Naruto's heart nearly jumped out of his chest when he heard the door break down. Mei's lips were only a few inches from his when they heard the door crack open. Her eyes flared with flames as she saw her two bodyguards stumble into the room.

"Oh, Thank you! Help me!" Naruto cried as he saw them.

"Mizukage-sama! What is this?" Ao shouted as Chōjūrō's eyes widened in shock. He could see the fire rising in her eyes.

"Who the hell told you to come in here?!" She shouted. Ao and Chōjūrō quickly flinched at her outburst. "I TOLD you to stay on guard…and don't let ANYONE enter!"

"W-We were just worried that something was happening, we just wanted to make sure that you were safe." Chōjūrō stuttered.

"N-Never mind that! What are you doing to him?!" Ao pointed to Naruto. Mei stood and began to walk towards them, her eyes and aura seeming lighting up with a deadly fire. "Y-You know that this is inappropriate." Being caught up in his shock, he didn't realize what he said next.

"Y-You know that he's_ too young_ for this!"

Mei's eyes flinched when she heard his words.

"What the FUCK did you just say?!" She shouted. Chōjūrō's worry grew exponentially with every passing second. "If you're smart, you'll get out NOW, and you won't come back. Keep your mouth SHUT, if you say even one more thing, I will FUCKING BOIL YOU ALIVE right here!" Beads of sweat glided down their faces at her threats.

They quickly turned around to see Sakura, Kakashi and Hinata rushing towards the room. As the trio jumped into the room, everyone had an expression of shock and surprise among their faces. Naruto's expression was particularly disturbing.

"N-Naruto-kun…?" Hinata expressed in a disappointing tone. "What are you doing?"

"I-It's not what it looks like, Hinata! Please, believe me! I wasn't interested in this at all!" Naruto shouted defensively.

Kakashi desperately wanted to speak up his objections, but he thought better of it. He knew his position, and it was in no position to object to the demands of the Mizukage.

Naruto thought differently.

"This crazy woman wanted me to spend a night with her!" he shouted while pointing at Mei. He looked back desperately at Hinata. "You know I wouldn't do this! I told her I didn't want to do this, but she just-" He shot up to his feet, immediately his eyes rolled back into his head and he fell forward.

Kakashi shot forth and caught Naruto with his arm. He picked Naruto up and placed him back down onto the bed. He looked up at Kakashi with a faded gaze.

"Just relax, Naruto, we'll handle this." He assured while rising again. He bowed to Mei and spoke. "Mizukage-sama, perhaps there is another way we can settle this dispute. Even if Naruto had agreed to this…" He looked over at Hinata. "He's obviously not in any shape or form to comply with your demands."

"What do you propose then, Copy Ninja?" Mei asked him.

"I was told-and hoping that this mission was a peaceful emissary mission, but I don't know how we can proceed from here."

Mei pondered for a minute, and then answered with her own conclusion.

"We'll solve this peace treaty with battle."

Kakashi let in a deep sigh. "How ironic."

Mei Smiled. "Pick one from your group, and I'll choose one from mine."

Kakashi stepped forward, only to be gently pushed back.

"Kakashi-sensei, I'll do it." Hinata said with determination in her voice. Kakashi's eyes widened at her assertion.

"How interesting." Mei replied with narrow eyes. "Very well…" she looked over at Ao. "Go."

He bowed to her and began to walk out of the room. "Follow me."

…

They made their way outside to a large, open courtyard. One on end stood Ao, flanked by Mei and Chōjūrō. On the other end stood Hinata, on her left stood Sakura and on her right, Naruto was being supported by Kakashi.

"Hinata, be careful don't-"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." Hinata replied as she stepped forward.

"K-Kakashi-sensei." Naruto coughed. He smirked as Kakashi turned to him. "Don't worry about Hinata, she's the only one who stood up to Pain." He brought his head up and gazed at Hinata's back. "…There's no way that she could lose to this guy."

Hinata and Ao stepped forward.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you too badly, little girl." Ao stated with a smirk.

"You won't even be able to touch me." Hinata sharply replied. "You may have stolen one eye from my clan, but you will never truly know the power of the Byakugan. Ao smirked at her words.

"Byakugan!" they shouted while charging each other.

_There's no way this guy can beat Hinata._

* * *

Thank you for reading! There will be no vote this week, because there's no cliff hanger here and I really want to establish a correct schedule for writing. So, here it is:

**Monday** is the day I will release the stories (remember, I'm writing two stories at the same time.)

If there is a vote that occurs in the story, the voting will end on the following **Friday**, that way, I have the weekend to write the stories.

Thank you for reading again.


	11. The True Byakugan

**CHAPTER RATING: T**

* * *

**Episode 11: Emissary, Part VII: The True Byakugan**

_There's no way this guy can beat Hinata_. Naruto thought as Hinata stepped further away towards Ao. Hinata readied her posture and brought her hands up. Ao smirked as he rushed towards her. Hinata readied herself for the inevitable impact that was rushing towards her.

Her forearms blocked his first strike that pushed her back. He struck her arm again with his left hand. Hinata parried his third strike with her left hand, turning him around. Shock stretched across his face as she struck him from behind, and sent him flying back towards his "team."

Ao stumbled to his feet and looked over at Mei, who shot him a disappointing look.

"I knew you were useless." She spat at him. He stood and wiped at his mouth while turning around.

"Impressive!" he exclaimed while clapping. "I did not expect such composure, power, and control from such a fragile looking child!" he mocked. Hinata smirked at his words and lowered her posture again into a ready position.

Mei looked over at Chōjūrō. "I picked the wrong person for the job; I don't recall that Ao can do anything to defeat this little girl." Chōjūrō smiled nervously at the truth that she spoke. "It looks like this treaty will be signed." She mocked. "He's just a sensor."

Ao heard this venom that she was spitting quite loudly. Which lit a fire in his spirit. He charged again towards Hinata. They clashed half-way in the courtyard, creating a giant shockwave that pushed air in all directions. Naruto looked stunned as he watched the fight go on.

Ao began to deliver kicks to Hinata's side, she brought he knee up and guard his strikes with her shin. His last kick resulted in Hinata striking his leg with both of her palms, sending it into the ground with a large crack as it hit the concrete floor.

Without her hands to guard her own position, Hinata felt an impact on her chest that forced to to painfully exhale, as she felt this strike, he immediately turned and struck her face with the back of his fist. The impact sent Hinata flying with a crash on the ground.

Shock and worry took over Naruto's face. Hinata stood from the impact, her face seemed flawless at the impact. There was no scarring, and no bruising. Naruto then recalled the image of her that he saw at the point of impact. When Ao struck Hinata, the impact splashed with a light azure.

Anger and surprise entered Ao's eyes.

"You molded your chakra to dampen the blow?" he questioned. Hinata nodded to answer him. "Impressive." He added to her reply. "No more holding back! Show me what a true Kunoichi of Konoha can do!" He charged once again towards her.

Hinata side-stepped his first strike and took hold of his arm; she deeply planted her feet into the ground and used the leverage to carry him over her shoulder and slam him into the ground. Dust shot up from the impact as he closed his eyes in pain. He rolled to his side just as she raised her right and struck the ground.

Not missing a beat, Hinata stepped forward with one foot and pushed her right hand forward, shooting a great vacuum of air towards him. He rolled out of the way, Hinata anticipated his movements and shot another vacuum of air, which hit him in his chest and sent him into the wall of the palace.

She brought her hands towards her waist, lions began to form around her fists. Ao charged recklessly towards her, he raised his arms and tried his best to stop her assault; the lions that formed around her fists seemingly roaring with her movements. Hinata struck him in the chest with her right hand, he bent over at the pain that he felt, his vision blurred as she stepped again, planting her foot deeper into the ground as she similarly turned as he did, and struck him in the face.

She stepped forward again and the lion's head shot forth towards the drowsy Ao that sat in a great indentation that sat in the palace wall. A great roar echoed from it as it rushed towards him.

A giant wall of black obsidian shot up from the ground and interrupted the lion's flight.

"That's enough." Mei commanded. "Well done." She congratulated Hinata. "You've bested one of my personal bodyguards. You win." The lions on Hinata's fists dissipated as she bowed down.

Mei looked over at Ao, "That's what you get for insulting me." She said coldly. Ao's face held a look of frustration, exhaustion, and confusion.

"W-What do you mean?" He questioned. Mei walked over to Hinata and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You don't know who this girl is, do you?" she said sarcastically. "She is Hyuuga Hinata, the only person who stood up to Pain. There is no way that you could defeat her." Kakashi and Sakura walked up to the pair, Naruto was still draped over Kakashi's shoulder.

Mei looked over at Kakashi and spoke.

"Copy Ninja, this was only a formality. My signature on this treaty was not dictated by this contest."

"Then, how shall we decide it then?" Kakashi questioned.

"My signature was already ensured when I received my answer from Uzumaki Naruto."

Their eyes shot open in shock at her words.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"You…" she looked at Naruto. "…are very compassionate, loyal, and you possess a good heart; something that I have not found in other nations in a long, long, time."

Naruto smiled at the compliment.

"If Konoha can instill values in its people that you have shown me today, I will gladly sign this treaty and help you rebuild your country."

She walked them back to Naruto's recover room.

"Rest for tonight, tomorrow, we'll have an escort for you back towards your country. You tell the Hokage that we will send architects as soon as we can to help."

Mei turned and walked through the door with those last words.

"How are you feeling?" Kakashi asked Naruto.

"Better…I just want to go home."

* * *

Next chapter, there'll be a vote.

Thanks for reading!


	12. A Vision Come True

Apologies for not sticking to my own schedule, but since I released Cherry Blossoms in the Wind on Saturday, I figure I should release An Acknowledge Love on Sunday, even if it's pretty late.

**CHAPTER RATING: T**

* * *

**Episode 12: A Vision Come True**

The newly formed Team 7 arrived at Konoha's main gate. Hinata and Sakura led the way as Kakashi dragged a still sluggish and exhausted Naruto by his side. Behind the team was a massive caravan, consisting of architects, security forces, and artisans, looking to sell their exotic wares in a distant nation.

"Okay, we're here. The first thing we should probably do is report to Hokage-sama." Kakashi insisted. "We'll head that way, and then, we'll have our long awaited break to look forward to." Kakashi said with a smile. "You've all earned it."

They walked towards the Hokage's office, and opened the door to be greeted by Tsunade herself.

"How did the mission go?" Tsunade asked bluntly.

"Ugh, well. We had a few issues along the way, but everything turned out alright in the end. Isn't that right, everyone?" Kakashi asked aloud. The three members of Team 7 nodded simultaneously.

"Nothing unusual happened?" Tsunade insisted. The team offered her mixed responses with their facial expressions.

"Well…not exactly." Naruto interjected. Tsunade nodded, as if she knew something had to have gone wrong.

"What happened?" she asked again.

"Well, To start off…" Naruto replied. "Something…" he spoke as if he didn't know what it was. "Something…caused me to collapse, and then I found myself before the Mizukage."

He glanced over at Hinata. Looking at her, he silently mouthed:

_Do you forgive me?_

Hinata looked at him with a smile and nodded slightly. Naruto took a deep breath and continued:

"…I found myself before the Mizukage…and she offered to me one condition."

"What was that?"

"I…I had to spend a night with her." Naruto gulped. Tsunade's eyes twitched with these turn of events.

"She WHAT?! That slut!" She shouted while pounding her desk into the ground.

"T-That's how it went." Naruto finished

"And…?" Tsunade questioned again

"And…I didn't do it…I couldn't bring myself to do it." He said while smiling at Hinata again.

"And then what happened? If that was the one condition, and you didn't do it, how did you complete the mission?" Tsunade asked again.

"We determined the treaty with a battle." Hinata silently spoke up. "I battled The Mizukage's personal bodyguard, a man named Ao, and defeated him." Tsunade smiled at the news.

"That is something that is quite impressive. Your family should be proud." She complimented Hinata. "Is that how it was settled?"

"Not exactly." Sakura answered back. "The Mizukage decided that the one factor that determined her stance on the treaty was the fact that our team was so loyal to one another." She looked over at Naruto. "Naruto's reluctance to give-in to her demands was one of the dominant factors that determined her judgement on the treaty."

"She said that if the entire Land of Fire can raise peoples' spirits to be as loyal as this shinobi who stands before you, she would gladly help us rebuild our village." Kakashi added with a smile.

"Good. I'm very proud of you all, you've done Konoha a great service. Congratulations, here's your pay."

She handed each of them a stack of paper bills, gently wrapped in another sleeve of paper.

"Enjoy your time off." They bowed to her and turned to exit the building.

"Wait, Sakura!" Tsunade called out. "I need to speak with you, stay here." Sakura nodded and stepped into the office as the rest of the team exited the building.

…

"Well…Enjoy yourselves." Kakashi said to Naruto and Hinata as he strolled calmly into Konoha's busy streets, leaving the two alone, together.

"So…Hinata." Naruto said nervously. "How do you feel about…a date? It's on me." He asked with a shivering voice.

"I'd love to, Naruto-kun. But I have to report to my father. Maybe another time." Hinata replied with a smile.

"Alright, I'll save it for another day." Naruto replied with a soft expression. "I'll see you around."

He walked home, his mind still filled with the unbelievable turn of events that had occurred within the last few weeks. His mind wandered over all of the strange occurrences.

_That old lady was ridiculous! I can't believe she'd offer that up to me, trying to back me into a corner like that!...I-I wouldn't have done that, would I?_

* * *

**A/N:** No, Naruto, thanks to the awesome audience that reads this, you'd never do that. I love you guys!(and girls!)

* * *

He walked home, fell on his bed, and closed his eyes.

…

"Hinata-sama!" Neji cried out as he saw her walking towards the Hyuuga residence. Hinata waved as she saw Neji walking up towards her. "You've returned? How was your mission?" he kindly asked.

"It went fine. Nothing that our new team couldn't handle." She answered back with what seemed like an uncommon air of confidence. "Where is my father?"

"He's in here." Neji explained while motioning with his hands.

"Thank you, Neji-niisan. I'd like to speak with him in private please."

Neji bowed and stepped away as Hinata walked up to the door and slid it open.

"Hinata, you've returned." Hiashi said in a low, almost uncaring tone.

"Y-Yes, Father. I'm back, and I have some news for you."

"What is it?"

"When I arrived in the Land of Water, I was challenged by a man named Ao."

"Ao? One of the Mizukage's own personal guards?"

"Yes."

"And? How did you do? I assume that you defeated him?"

"Yes, I did, Father."

Hiashi stood and slowly walked his way towards Hinata, who began to shiver with anxiety as he approached.

She was surprised to feel his arms wrap around her, and his chest against her head.

"Well done, my daughter." His voice cracked with every syllable. "You have done something great. I am sorry that I had ever doubted you."

He pulled Hinata closer and embraced her tighter.

"Can you ever forgive me for being so hard on you all these years?" He gently asked her.

"Father, I just wanted you to accept me all this time." She said quietly

"I was wrong in my beliefs that you were weak." He said as he began to pull away from her. Hiashi bent down, placed his hands on Hinata's shoulders and looked into her diamond eyes with his own.

"You have proven me wrong, and that has made me the proudest father to have ever existed. You are a blessing to this family, a blessing to me."

Hinata's eyes began to tear up as she heard her father's words. She wrapped her arms around him and returned his embrace.

"I'm sorry if I've never had the courage to tell you this, but I love you, Hinata. And I always will."

"I love you too, Father."

* * *

**A/N: **Please, leave out any incest comments; you know I don't mean it that way. Thanks. Stay classy.

* * *

Naruto awoke in the middle of the night to a knock on his door.

_Who could that be? This late at night?_

He rose from his bed, turned on the light, and opened the door. The light around the figure that stood in front of him was blinding as his night vision began to recede, and his eyes began to refocus.

He was surprised at what he saw when his eyes came into focus.

"S-Sakura-chan? What are you doing here?" He blankly asked.

"N-Naruto, do you have a few minutes? I need to talk to you about something." Naruto shook his head and rubbed his eyes.

"Y-Yeah, sure! Come in." he insisted while turning and leading her over to his couch.

He sat down, resting his elbows on his knees and leaned on them. Sakura sat down next to him, he turned his head to give her his undivided attention.

"So, what is it?" Naruto asked.

Sakura moved closer to him.

"Naruto…I know this is going to be weird. But we've been through a lot together, we have a lot of history between us."

Naruto nodded.

"I regret having you make that promise to me. I really want to apologize for what I did to you…I'm sorry, can you forgive me?"

She moved closer to him as he moved back.

"D-Don't worry about it, Sakura-chan. It's okay."

"There's one more thing, Naruto."

"What's that?" he asked nervously.

"It's been a long, nine years…I've lied to you all this time…Please forgive me for everything that I've done to deceive you."

"…But I mean it this time…"

"…I…I love you."

* * *

**A/N:**

If Naruto reacts to Sakura's confession with frustration and anger, send the phrase **"A CHANGE OF HEART"** as the subject line to **wanderingrurouni at hotmail dot com**.

If Naruto reacts to Sakura's confession with confusion and compassion, send the phrase "**THE HISTORY OF TEAM 7**" as the subject line to **wanderingrurouni at hotmail dot com.**

Voting ends **Friday, September 27****th****.**

Thank you for reading, and I hope you tune in next week.

**edit**:My mistake, I meant to have the two choices switched. Those of you who have voted, you won't need to vote again, I've already taken them into account.

Sorry! I guess it was just really, really late.


	13. A Change of Heart

**A Change of Heart** – 62 votes

**The History of Team 7 **– 1 vote

To the one person who voted for The History of Team 7, stay proud!

I wouldn't have had a problem writing this chapter either way.

Thanks for all the votes and encouragement!

**CHAPTER RATING: T**

* * *

**Episode 13: A Change of Heart**

"I…I love you." Sakura silently repeated while she moved closer to him. She pushed him back farther until his back was pressed up against the arm rest of the couch.

Before he could react, she pressed her body against his and met his lips with her own. In his shock, he pushed her back and rolled down onto the ground. He shook his head as he stood.

"What gotten into you?!" he shouted.

"I-I've told you. My feelings have changed. I realize now that-"

"No." He replied in a deep tone. "It's too late for that."

"But we've been through so much together! Doesn't that mean anything to you?" She questioned

"I-It…" he took another deep breath and looked up at her. "For the last nine years…NINE YEARS! I've asked for your affection. I've wanted to be with you ever since we were kids…Why are you doing this to me?!"

His eyes softened as he began to speak again.

"After everything we've been through…Zabuza and Haku…The Chuunin Exams…Konoha's destruction, through all of these years, you've only looked towards one person…And that person wasn't me!"

He looked at her with eyes filled with determination.

"A lot of things have changed." He grasped his heart as he continued. "Some things that just can't be changed back. It's too late, Sakura."

Tears began to well up in her eyes as she heard his words. She noted the tough truth that he had omitted the usual suffix he would use when addressing her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Is that what you really believe?" she asked.

"It's not what I believe. It's what I know."

Sakura stood, walked towards the door, and opened it.

"I'm sorry, Naruto."

…

Naruto took a deep breath as the door shut behind him. He took a deep breath and put his hands together.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." He said rather depressingly. A puff of smoke appeared behind him.

He felt his own hand on his shoulder.

"What seems to be the problem, boss?" his own voice asked himself. The clone guided himself towards the same couch that Sakura just sat on. "Have a seat."

"So, what seems to be the problem?"

"Why are you asking me this? YOU'RE me! You know what the problem is!"

"Yep, I was just jokin' with ya." The clone smiled sarcastically. "So, how do you feel about it?"

"What do you think? Was I…Was I too cold towards her?"

The clone held his chin in his hand.

"Well…let's see." He began. "In the last nine years, whenever you asked for some time to spend with her, whenever you asked for ONE SINGLE DATE. The only person should would think about was _him._ Does that seem fair to you?"

"…No."

"What else is there? How much are you willing to bet that she knows about Hinata and you…or us." He said with a smile.

"Ha, you're funny."

"What? Aren't I TECHNICALLY you?"

"Let's not make this too complicated, alright?"

"Y-Yeah...Sorry. Well, let's stay on track…How much are you willing to bet that she knows about you and Hinata?"

"You don't think she would…"

"Maybe…I mean why else would she choose now to do that?"

"You make a good point…But, I'd never think that she would be the type of person to try and disrupt a relationship…"

"Look at it this way, everything I've said about her, everything that happened in the last nine years…Isn't it all true?"

"Everything you've said is true."

"Right, so were you too cold to her?"

"…No…?"

"Right. Good, my job is done. Call me again if you need help."

The shadow clone clasped his hands together and disappeared.

…

"Is that all you want for tonight, young lady?" an elderly clerk asked Hinata as she(the clerk) handed her(Hinata) a bag filled with noodles, pork, and vegetables, including naruto.

"That's all, thank you." Hinata replied in a quiet polite tone.

"Is there something special you have planned for tonight?" the clerk asked while leaning over the glass display with her elbows.

"I do." Hinata replied with a kind nod. "Thank you again!" she shouted with a wave as she began to walk away.

_He asked me for a date, I'll surprise him with an uninvited visit._

As Hinata walked towards Naruto's house, she saw Sakura walking in the opposite direction, her hand rubbing her eyes.

"Sakura-san? What's wrong?" Hinata asked as she passed by her. Sakura rubbed her eyes a final time.

"Nothing, don't worry about it, Hinata." She replied. "I just want you to know that…" she placed a hand on Hinata's shoulder. "I'm…I'm happy for you."

"T-Thank you, Sakura-san…" Hinata replied. They both moved away in their own directions.

Hinata walked up to Naruto's door and raised her hand.

…

Naruto had not moved from where he sat. He had spoken his mind with his shadow clone, but he was still wondering about his actions.

_Why did she decide to say this now? Wasn't…wait. She was asked to stay behind when we reported our mission…Could that be the re-_

A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.

He approached the door and opened it.

"Hinata?" he asked in surprise. "What are you doing here? Is something wrong?"

She shook her head with a smile.

"I just thought I'd come by and…" she held up the plastic bag "…cook you something. Like a date, can I come in?"

"O-Of course!" he replied with a slight blush. "Come right in." He grabbed the bag that she held and walked into the kitchen; placing the bag on his kitchen table, he began to look for a pot to cook the ingredient. Within a few minutes, he had spread out all of the ingredients on his kitchen counter.

"How about it?" Hinata asked "I'll make your favorite tonight."

Naruto smiled.

"We'll make it together."

…

A while later, they both entered the living room with two large bowls of ramen. Together they sat on the couch, side by side. Hinata looked over at Naruto and noticed that he wasn't eating with his usual enthusiasm.

"Naruto-kun? Is something wrong?" she asked.

"No! Of course not! Nothing's wrong!" he lied.

Hinata placed her bowl onto the table and placed her hand onto Naruto's. She looked up into his sapphire eyes with her diamond eyes.

"I told you that I was here for you, no matter what the problem is, I'll be here with you." She assured him with a smile. "Now, tell me, what's wrong?"

"Well…" he took a deep breath. "Earlier tonight, Sakura-chan came here, and she told me that…that she loved me." Hinata's eyes widened at his words. "But I'm telling you the truth! I did nothing! You know that I didn't do anything with the Mizukage!" Hinata's eyes softened as he continued. "I would never do that to you! Not even with-"

Hinata placed a finger on his lips.

"I know you wouldn't do anything like that…"

Naruto deeply sighed.

"You do know what tonight is, don't you, Naruto-kun?"

* * *

**A/N:**

Coincidentally, 10 chapters ago(on Chapter 14) was the first lemon scene of this story. So, it's up to you. If you want to read a lemony scene, send the word **Anniversary** as the subject line to _wanderingrurouni at hotmail dot com._

If you don't want to read a lemony scene, send the word **Departure** as the subject line to _wanderingrurouni at hotmail dot com._

__Voting ends **Friday, October 4th.**

Also, if you want to write a body for the email, please do! I'll respond as soon as I can!


	14. Anniversary

**A/N:**

Before you celebrate about the length of this chapter.

Just let me say that this chapter isn't as long as it seems.

I'm sorry if it doesn't seem that long (concerning the word count), but to me, it seems like it was a lot longer than it needed to be.

…I almost felt…awkward writing this. *deep breath*

Anyway, I need to address some things at the end of this chapter, thank you for reading.

* * *

**Anniversary: **41 Votes

**Departure:** 0 Votes

**Thanks to Everyone who voted!**

One of the best emails I received on this vote was _**"Bring on the Fruit!"**_

I love the whole fruit analogy.

Here's your occasional dose of lemon…zest? Citrus…juice? Whatever.

So…Here you go.

(**Note**: Need cliffhangers with less one-sided choices…For both stories.)

* * *

**CHAPTER RATING: M**

* * *

**Episode 14: Anniversary**

"You do know what tonight is, don't you, Naruto-kun?"

"…I do."

Hinata pushed her body up against Naruto's. His muscles relaxed as he felt the heat between them merge. She pushed her soft lips against his. He relaxed as her lips caressed his. Hinata's hands grasped his golden hair and moved slowly down his face while their lips were still interlocked. Her hands inched lower and lower until they reached into his shirt and began to move upwards, letting his shirt glide off as her fingers rubbed up against his body. His shirt slid off with ease and floated to the floor.

Hinata brought her hands and rested them against his bare chest. Her lips came to his again, he felt her tongue slowly slide into his mouth and gently push against his; instinctively, he caressed her tongue with his own, Hinata let out gentle moans that sent vibrations through their bodies.

Naruto's hands grasped Hinata's hips with his strong grasp and gently caressed her body as they moved upwards. He felt every curve in her body as his hands advanced. He took hold of the zipper of her lavender sweatshirt and began to pull it down.

Hinata's arms relaxed as the sweatshirt followed after Naruto's own shirt and fell onto the floor. Her hands released themselves from his face as she slowly began to break away. She gently bit down on his lip while pulling away.

"Follow me." She silently whispered while pulling him up to his feet. Hinata pulled him towards his bedroom and sat down on his bed. She reached down and pulled her undershirt off. Naruto leaned down and kissed her again. His hand began to move slowly down her body, caressing every inch, and gently slid under her black panties. Hinata moaned as she felt his fingers upon her. Vibrations echoed through her very being as his fingers moved.

Hinata took in a deep gasp as Naruto's fingers stopped. He began to slowly move down her body, kissing each inch of her brilliant body. Hinata formed a fist with her right hand, and began to bite down on her finger as she felt Naruto's tongue; with every breath he took, Hinata felt her muscles twitch with ecstasy. Naruto's tongue gently caressed her slowly; every movement he made caused Hinata to moan deeper. Hinata's left hand entangled itself in Naruto's golden hair and gently urged him up.

She embraced his lips with her own again, wrapping her tongue around his; she moved her hand towards his boxer-shorts and took hold of his erection with her soft grip.

With a subtle push, she laid him down on his back and moved over him. Hinata held him up and lowered herself onto him. They both let out deep, desperate gasps for air as she took him in. Slowly, she lowered herself down upon him and brought herself back up.

Her movements sent pulses of electricity through their bodies; Hinata took hold of his hands and supported herself on them. Naruto supported her with all his strength as she began to move forward and backward, rubbing her hips agains his. She pushed up against his hands and lifted herself up before she intensely lowered herself again onto him.

Her muscles tensed again as she fell on top of him. They both took in deep gasps of air as she collapsed onto him. He could hear her whispers in his ear and feel her breath on his neck. Hinata wrapped her hands around him, pulled him closer and embraced him. Naruto wrapped his arms around Hinata in the same moment.

"I have always loved you, Naruto-kun." She whispered into his ear

"I will always love you, Hinata." He whispered back

* * *

**A/N:**

First of all, I want to answer some common questions that I've been receiving by email and PM, so, here's a FAQ that I want to post without having it take the place of an entire chapter.

**How do you manage to update so often?(not that I don't like it that you update every week.)**

I'm a 21 year-old college dropout(by choice) and have extra time to do things that I love, instead of doing things that other people tell me to do…and I love it.

**Why are your chapters so short?**

For one, I can't read a chapter that is over 2,000 words in one sitting, when I write these, I try to make them at least 1,000 words with some sort of story movement. I don't want to fill my chapters with unnecessary filler.

Two, I like being able to write smaller chapters and updating weekly, as opposed to writing larger chapters and updating monthly.

**What's your process for writing?**

I check out votes on Friday morning, write a rough outline Friday night, and write the actual chapters(ONE draft) on Saturday and Sunday(depending on which story I feel like writing)

**Why did you start the whole "choose your own adventure" voting?**

I started this because doing two stories at the same time was beginning to burn me out, and I was essentially running out of ideas. Now the thing is, I don't want to take other peoples' ideas, write them down, and claim them as my own, I'd like to have my audience have some sort of input on the direction that my story is going in.

In essence, it was a way to bring life back into my writing…I guess.

**You're writing two conflicting stories, two of the most popular pairings that are complete opposites! WHAT IS YOUR FAVOIRT PAIRING?! PICK ONE!**

…Uh…I'll enjoy ANY pairing, as long as it makes sense, it'll work for me. **NaruHina** or **NaruSaku**? It doesn't matter which pairing I choose, because as long as it makes sense, I'm fine with it.

Also, as a male writer, I don't exactly know how to describe a man's body…If any female readers out there could help me out, I'd appreciate it! :)

**Now, on to the thing that I need to discuss…**

A few chapters ago, I said that I may not be able to update every week.

This time has come. My brother and I have started on a large project that could last for months. We don't know how long it will take us to finish it. I will try my best to update these stories, but for now, I'll be taking a few weeks off to focus on this other project. I don't think another chapter will be posted until November.

Thank you for following me this far; I hope that you continue to read what I write.

...Okay, maybe I'll get one more chapter by next week. But just one.


	15. Departure

**CHAPTER RATING: T**

* * *

**Episode 15: Departure**

The morning rays shined through Naruto's window and penetrated his through his eyelids. He pulled his arms up and stretched until he noticed that there wasn't a pressure on his chest. He didn't feel her body against his, and he didn't feel her silk hair on his body. He looked down, and sure enough, Hinata wasn't there.

_Was it all a dream?_ A thought flashed through his mind.

_Well, if it was, it was one of the best dreams I've ever had_.

He sat up and blinked his eyes a few times. In an effort to clear his vision further, rubbed his eyes. When he opened them, he saw a note, situated on his nightstand. He yawned slowly and opened the piece of paper.

* * *

_-Naruto-kun, I had to leave early; many people still don't know about our relationship…And we still don't know how they will react when they find out. Whatever lies ahead for us on this path, remember that I will always stand by your side, no matter what._

_I love you,_

_-Hinata_

* * *

"So, it wasn't a dream." Naruto said aloud with a smile. He took a deep breath and shook his head as he stepped into his shower. He felt the warm water run down his body as thoughts raced through his mind.

_Did that really happen last night? Nine-years of nothing, and all of a sudden, she decides to do something…_

He lowered his head and let the water stream continuously down his hair.

_I know, __**somewhere,**__ I may have fallen in love with her, but not here._

He turned the shower off and listened to the water slowly subside. Slowly, he changed into his usual clothing and sat down. Before him, sitting on the table were two bowls of ramen that went unattended the night before.

"What a shame. I was looking forward to eating this. I'm sure Hinata's cooking is delicious." He said to himself as he took a bowl in each hand and walked towards the kitchen. He dumped out the night old ramen, and heard a pecking sound clicking on his window.

Confused, he walked over to his bedroom and saw a pigeon sitting on the windowsill. He gently opened the window and extended his hand. The pigeon jumped onto his hand and wrapped it's talons around his index finger.

Hanging from its leg was a small note attached to a string. Naruto slipped the note from its knot and stuck his hand out the window again, with a small flicking motion; he sent the pigeon back on its way to return home. He unwrapped the small scroll and read it out loud.

* * *

_-To Uzumaki Naruto,_

_Please report to the Hokage's office at noon today, The Hokage has an important announcement that she must deliver, it directly concerns the Genin group that you were associated with._

_Thank you for being prompt and punctual,_

_-Shizune, Assistant to the Fifth Hokage_

* * *

Naruto took another deep breath. He closed his window, burned the message, and walked out of the door.

…

He walked among the crowded streets of Konoha while making his way to the Hokage's office. He let his mind wander while gazing up at the passing clouds; still wondering about last night.

"Naruto-kun!" A voiced called out to him, breaking his concentration. He turned and was greeted by the brightest smile he had ever seen, and the tightest hug he had ever felt. Hinata wrapped her arms around him and pulled him in tightly. He smiled softly and returned her gesture."Are you heading towards the Hokage's office?" she asked him.

"I am." He answered with a nod. She pulled away and met his eyes with hers. "Were you contacted about this 'meeting' as well?" He asked.

"I was." She answered him as he turned and continued to walk. Hinata matched her stride with him and walked along side him. "I don't know what it's about, but from what I know is that everyone from our graduating class will be there."

Naruto nodded again, acknowledging her answer.

…

Outside of the Hokage's office, they found waiting for them, the remnants of the original Konoha 11. In between the others stood Tsunade and her original disciple, Haruno Sakura.

"Good you're here! Tsunade shouted as the duo reached ear shot. Naruto's gaze shifted away from Sakura's, he just couldn't bring himself to look her in the eyes.

"Here is the important news. Sakura will need a team to accompany her on a year-long peace-relations mission. You're all here to form a new team for the mission. Who will accompany her?" Tsunade declared.

Rock Lee jumped with ecstatic enthusiasm.

"I will go! I will protect Sakura-san with my life!" Tsunade nodded at his words. From the corner of his eye, Naruto saw Ino nudging Shikamaru with her shoulder. Annoyance seemed to be the expression on his face. He took a deep breath and raised his hand.

"I'll go. I can be the Jounin in this four-man cell." He said rather sluggishly.

"I'll go to!" Ino replied with opposing joy. She smiled and hugged Sakura. Tsunade nodded to this also.

"Very good then! You're all dismissed! Shikamaru, Ino, Sakura, Lee. Follow me." Tsunade declared again while the newly assembled team followed close behind. Sakura gazed at Naruto one last time with a weakened smile, but couldn't see his eyes.

Together, Hinata and Naruto turned around and began to walk away from the group. She smiled gently as they walked.

"I'll see you again, Naruto-kun. There's something I need to take care of."

"Okay, I'll see you soon." Naruto nodded.

…

Naruto decided to send the rest of his day sitting in the forest, taking in the sounds and sights of nature. If he hadn't willingly resisted it, his stillness could have caused him to enter Sage Mode. He decided to relax and just let the aura of the world take his mind. A tint of orange began to overlap his eyes until he heard a rustling in front of him.

"Naruto…" Sakura said quietly.

"What is it?" He asked with a deep sigh. He pushed up against the tree he sat by and stood up.

"I just wanted to explain what I did last night…" Sakura continued.

"Okay, go ahead." He replied again with a softer voice. Sakura stepped closer to him as he stood still.

"The reason why I did what I did last night is because I won't be able to see you for a long time. I just wanted to let you know how I really feel now." She explained. "I'm sorry for everything that I've done, and I understand why you were upset. I promise that I will never do that again, can you ever forgive me for what I did?"

Naruto stepped forward, with every step, Sakura seemed to flinch with uncertainty as to what was going to happen next.

To her surprise, she felt his arms wrap around her, and gently buried her face into his chest.

"Don't worry, Sakura-chan. I forgive you." He whispered to her.

"Thank you, Naruto." They broke away from each other as they heard a voice in the distance.

"Sakura-san! We're going to leave!" Rock Lee shouted. Sakura smiled at Naruto and turned around.

"Thank you so much, Naruto." She whispered before calling out to Lee. "I'm coming, Lee-san!"

As she faded into the trees, he heard a loud bang followed by the soft rustling of leaves being pushed by dust.

"WOW! SAKURA-SAN! THAT'S AMAZING!" Naruto heard Lee's voice penetrate through the thick forest.

He smiled when he realized what she had done.

…

Hinata and Naruto were called again to the Hokage's office, where it was immediately urgent that they find suitable replacements for the new Team 7 that was required to be formed.

"Okay, as you both know, Team 7 is now fractured, the only people that are currently in Team 7 are you two. We'll need to reform the team, but who should replace the last two?"

Naruto and Hinata shrugged.

* * *

**A/N:**

1) If you want **ONLY** Naruto and Hinata to be part of the new Team 7 send the phrase **Two-Man Cell** to _wanderingrurouni at hotmail dot com._

2) If you want New Members to be added send the word **Reformed** to _wanderingrurouni at hotmail dot com_

Also, please send in your choices for the new Team Members.

**Here are your choices for the new team members:**

Jounin Position: _Kakashi, Yamato, Neji_

Chuunin Position: _Shino, Kiba, Chouji, Tenten, Sai_

Thanks for reading! But don't expect a new chapter next week.


	16. The New New Team 7

**I'm back a little early! Yay!**

Two-Man Cell: 41 Votes

Reformed: 47 Votes

_Most Voted Jounin: _Neji

_Most Voted Chuunin: _Shino and Kiba

But…circumstances have changed. There were more votes for _Kiba and Shino_ than for all Jounin combined.

And you all gave very logical arguments as to why the team should be Kiba and Shino. Which, I had to agree on.

"New Team 7" = Shino, Kiba, Hinata, Naruto.

**CHAPTER RATING: M**

* * *

**Episode 16: Siren of the Sand, Part I: The "New" New Team 7**

"As the only two remaining members of Team 7, you two will decide between your new teammates." Tsunade sat before Naruto and Hinata at her desk, her finger pointed at a list of eligible people who could fulfill the roles that were required. "For the Jounin position, your choices are: Hatake Kakashi…" Naruto flinched at the mention of his former mentor. "…Hyuuga Neji" Hinata's nerves tensed at the mention of a trusted protector and teacher. "…Or, Yamato."

Tsunade pointed to another list. "Your choices for the other Chuunin position." She stared at Naruto and raised an eyebrow with a mocking smirk. "…are Aburame Shino, Inuzuka Kiba, Akimichi Chouji, or Tenten."

_Why doesn't Tenten have a family name? Weird._ Naruto's mind wandered.

"So, choose your new teammates." Tsunade ordered with opened palms. Hinata answered for the pair:

"A-Actually, Hokage-sama, we were hoping to just let the team consist of Naruto-kun and Mysel-"

An interruption literally busted through the door of the Hokage's office. A man with red face paint and wildly styled hair burst through that door.

"Did somebody say a new team?!" Kiba's voice echoed through the room. He sat on top of his trusted companion, Akamaru. "We'll join!" he shouted again.

"What do you mean? 'We'll' join, you and who?" Tsunade asked in slight annoyance. A soft buzzing entered the room, followed by another man in a dark green jacket, his face barely visible, blocked by an extension of his shirt, and dark shades; the bug landed on his finger.

"Kiba, and I will join." Shino said quietly in his flat tone. Kiba dismounted from Akamaru's back, he walked up to Naruto and Hinata; with enthusiasm he placed each hand on Naruto's and Hinata's shoulder.

"What do you think?! How awesome is it that Team Kurenai is back together!" Naruto and Hinata smiled uneasily at the news. Tsunade waved her head.

"We can't do that." She asserted to them.

"Why not?!" Kiba shouted.

"Because it doesn't make sense." Tsunade began to explain. She pointed down at the list of eligible shinobi. "The standard team is made up of a Jounin, and three Chuunin; to have _three_ Chuunin and a _Genin_…" She shot another mocking look at Naruto, who responded with an identical glace at her. "the operation will be too risky! There's a reason for this structure, because it works." Tsunade explained further.

"But we're one of the most compatible teams ever!" Kiba shouted as he brought his arms on the shoulders of Hinata and Shino. "We've been with each other since we were kids! And we all know each other!"

Shino pushed Kiba's arm off his shoulders. "Don't touch me." He approached the desk and stood in his stoic stance.

"Hokage-sama, Kiba's words are true, we are one of the closest friends and teams ever, and we've known each other for a long time. We know how we fight and none of us…" his gaze scanned over all three of them. "…would ever let the other down, no matter what." Shino lifted his hand and pointed at Naruto. "Besides, Ninja rank should not matter in any mission that concerns Naruto, even if he is still a Genin."

"Why not?" Tsunade asked.

"…Because, his rank may be that of a Genin, but his is the shinobi responsible for saving our entire village."

* * *

**A/N:** One of the _stupidest_ things I've ever heard is from the 6th Naruto Movie: Road to Ninja, when Iruka tells Naruto that he **"can't become a Jounin, even if he saved the entire village."**

Honestly, how **stupid** is that reasoning?

So in this story: Forget about Ninja ranks. They're pointless.

* * *

Tsunade froze as she heard his well-reasoned, calm, and logical argument. He was right, by all means, Naruto should be a Jounin for what he had done, he had saved the village, something not even the highest ranking ninja could have done.

"Fine." She replied. "If anyone is suited to go on this mission, Naruto certainly is."

Kiba jumped for joy at her words. "So, it's settled then! The new team for this next mission will consist of us four!"

Naruto and Hinata smiled uneasily towards each other.

"Okay, now that that's out of the way, we'll give you all a quick mission briefing." Tsunade pushed over the papers on her table and revealed a map of the know world. She pointed to the Land of Wind. "This request comes from the Kazekage himself."

"Gaara? Gaara asked for this?" Naruto asked.

"He asked specifically for you, Naruto." Tsunade added. "The Kazekage and his council will reveal more details to you when you reach their village. The only information that we have is that the locals of the village have been hearing "strange noises" at night. Many residents have reported that their family members have gone missing. They have gone to call this phenomenon 'The Siren of the Sand.' But that is all we have now."

Tsunade waved her hand over the group. "That's it, you're all dismissed. Be careful out there."

The new Team 7 nodded and exited the room.

…

As the four shinobi exited the building, Naruto began to break from the group. He held his head quite low as he walked home. Hinata, Kiba, and Shino stood back, and began to reminisce about the missions that they had been though. Hinata looked past the edges of her eyes and watched Naruto walk away.

"So…Hinata, how does it feel to finally be on a team with Naruto?" Kiba abruptly brought up. Hinata felt a rush of blood to her face. "Isn't it what you always wanted?"

She nodded silently. Shino pushed Kiba back slightly.

"Kiba, take it easy." He stepped forward and placed a hand on Hinata's shoulder. "Hinata, we've been teammates for a long time, and we've been friends for an even longer time. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask us." He said with reassurance.

"Thank you, Shino-kun." She whispered to him.

"Isn't that right, Kiba?" he asked flatly.

"Of course!" Kiba replied.

"I-If that's the case, could you both do me a favor?" she asked.

"Anything." Shino replied.

…

Naruto sat on his bed, his lights lit the hallways and rooms of his home; regret and happiness raced through his mind at the news that he had heard in Tsunade's office.

On one hand, he had really wanted to be alone on a team with Hinata. On the other hand, he was unconditionally complimented as one of the strongest shinobi from one of his friends.

He stared blankly at the hardwood floor, a ring of his doorbell broke the trance he was in. he stood and opened the door to find Hinata looking into his eyes.

"H-Hinata? Is something wrong?" he asked.

"I just wanted to see you again." She said with a smile and a nod. "You seemed a little troubled when we left; I just wanted to check on you."

Naruto nodded and opened the door. She grabbed his hands and looked deeply into his eyes.

"Is something bothering you?" she asked softly.

He took a deep breath. "I really wanted us to be together on this mission; like you said, we wanted this new team to just be you and me."

"Naruto-kun…Don't worry about it. The least we can do is spend this night together." She reached up, brought him closer, and kissed him.

* * *

**A/N:** I said I felt "awkward" writing Chapter 14? Well, one thing I learned is that I need to be in the right mood to write with confidence, and as of this writing, I'm in the right mood…So, Chapter 10 make up scene-_**Go!**_

* * *

Their lips locked, and with a gentle tug, Hinata led Naruto to his bedroom. She turned around and sat him down onto his bed. Her hand reached up to his neck and took hold of his zipper; it began to descend, but was stopped.

"Wait, what about your family? What would they say?"

Hinata pulled the zipper down until it separated with a snap. "Don't worry." She assured him. "I've taken care of that."

"What do you mean?" He asked with a puzzled expression. Hinata moved closer to him, holding him closer, she looked into his eyes with confidence.

"I mean, you don't have to worry about it." Her soft lips connected with his once again. She could feel his mind and muscles relax with her words.

"…Okay." He whispered back to her, his black and orange jacket slid off his shoulders, and silently landed on his mattress.

"Relax, Naruto-kun. I'll take the lead tonight." Her lavender hoodie fell to the ground in mere seconds, yet it felt like hours to him. She passionately kissed him, and gently laid him down onto the bed while her hand moved up his left leg and took hold of the zipper that secured his pants.

She slowly pulled the zipper apart, her hovering right hand began to glow green. "This is something that I wanted to show you." She whispered into his ear. Hinata's hand rubbed against him. He felt her hand wrap around him, as the emerald hue brightened, Hinata could feel his erection growing in her hand.

Naruto's body felt something new. His hands were beginning to feel cold, and his core began to burn. His thoughts were interrupted by her firm grip around him. But he knew exactly what she was doing: redirecting his own blood circulation, but even he had to admit: the sensation was intoxicating.

The emerald aura dissipated into nothing. Naruto felt Hinata's soft hand begin to move, gently caressing him; she could hear him softly moaning in his brief attempts to catch his breath.

He nearly lost himself when he felt Hinata's mouth surround him. Slowly, she began to move, her tongue moved in a circular motion, slowly caressing him. Every motion she made sent ecstatic sensations throughout his body. He was gradually regaining control of his hands as the blood returned to them. A sensation that he had never known before overtook him, ecstasy emanating from his core combined with the returning warmth to his extremities overwhelmed him.

Hinata held Naruto softly in her mouth. Her tongue continued to stimulate him. She continued to move up and down, until she felt his climax in her mouth. When it came forth, Hinata paused and took him into her mouth entirely.

She raised her head, licked her lips, and stood up. Disrobing, she let her clothes float down to the floor. Naruto found her figure mesmerizing; her dark hair in contract to her flawless, pearl skin, her eyes shone like stars in the dim light.

She brought her hands against his chest and straddled herself above him. They both took in deep gasps for air when he entered her; vibrations of passionate ecstasy engulfed her when she took him in entirely once again. His throbbing member sent echos of carnal bliss through her entire being.

Naruto's eyes were closed as he felt Hinata take him in. He silently moaned her name through his short, desperate breaths. Hinata began to move her hips against his. Her movements grew shorter, and faster until she arched her back in a nerve-trembling climax; losing all strength in her muscles, Hinata's body fell on top of Naruto's. She wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly. She could still feel him inside her, still hard, and filled with life.

Through her deep gasps for air, she began to move her hips. Naruto's hands moved to her sides, Hinata let out a brief cry at the cold sensation that took hold of her body.

"D-Did I hurt you?" Naruto asked. Hinata did not respond, but only offered him a shake of her head. Naruto continued moving down her body, feeling all of her alluring curves. His hands wrapped themselves around her hips and began moving with them, encouraging her. Her movements became quicker and more intense.

"Hinata, I-" He cried out. Hinata lifted her hips higher, briefly breaking their connection. Just as quickly, when he came to climax, she swiftly descended and took him in entirely again.

Her muscles lost all sensation as she moved her lips and met Naruto's; wrapping her tongue against his, she felt him climax inside of her.

Her eyes met his once again, wordlessly, she rested her head on his shoulder, and he embraced her with his arms.

They both closed their eyes, and let their consciousness fade into the night.

* * *

Now remember, I still won't be able to keep a consistent release schedule for the time being, so I don't know when the next chapter will be released.

On a last note, do you know what makes my day,_ every day_?

When I open up my email inbox and I see new messages from FanFiction.

Thank you all very much for your participation in voting, your follows, and your favorites.

When I say that I love you guys (and girls!) I mean it.

Knowing that people are enjoying my writing is one of the things that makes me feel better about myself.

Thank you, very much…for reading!


	17. Sandstorm

**Just wrote another one, to keep the story rollin'**

**Also, my account may soon be banned, so here's what may be my last chapter(but hopefully not) :)**

**CHAPTER RATING: T**

* * *

**Episode 17: Siren of the Sand, Part II: Sandstorm**

"Alright! We're ready to go, right?!" Kiba shouted as he watched Naruto and Hinata walking towards them. Shino stood by Kiba and Akamaru, waiting for the rest of the team.

"We can't go yet." Shino interjected when Naruto and Hinata entered ear-shot. "I still need to make a stop at the conservatory." He motioned for them to follow as he lead the way.

Konoha's conservatory was run by the Nara Family and the Aburame Family. It was situated on the outskirts of the village, in the shape of a giant done, consisting of panes of glass that had been fitted together. The entire structure looked like a spherical greenhouse, the kind of greenhouse that the Yamanaka family kept their flowers in.

"Shino, the conservatory is run by your family and Shikamaru's family?" Kiba asked aloud.

"Correct. My clan has specialized breeding methods for our bugs. The Nara clan have a special place in the forests of Konoha, a place where only members of their clan can enter. They have an important understanding and deep respect for nature due to that connection." Shino answered.

They walked into the structure, Shino lead the way into an area that was mostly covered by sand, something that was almost unseen in Konoha. Shino raised a finger. "It won't be long now, I'll just need to collect a few of these."

Several jet black beetles emerged from the sand, and took flight onto Shino's finger and crawled into his jacket.

"So, Shino…Why do you need those new bugs?" Naruto brought up somewhat clueless.

"The change in environment that we will face will become a hardship for my regular bugs. So I need to breed the qualities of these new bugs into my own." Shino explained.

"Okay…" Naruto replied, still a little lost. "In understand a bit of that, but won't it take a long time for them to do that?"

"The bugs live shorter lives than what we feel as 'long.' By the time we reach the desert, they'll be ready, and I can put them to use."

"What kind of use?" Naruto asked.

"I'll show you when we get there."

Shino nodded, signaling that his business was done, and began to walk towards the exit.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Hinata chimed in. "We still need to collect supplies for our journey!" she finished.

"R-Right. We'll meet you guys again in an hour…" Naruto added. He looked over at Hinata and they both smiled.

…

They reached the desert within a few weeks. They walked through the snad dunes and waded through the heat of the desert when the wind began to pick up, grains of sand began to lift and with the power of the wind, began to scratch the faces and blurr the eyes of the new Team.

"Now, I can show you how useful the bugs are." Shino raised his hand; his newly bred bugs formed a dome around the team. From the inside, they could hear the sand colliding and cutting away at the exoskeletons of the beetles. Not a single grain of sand entered the protective shelter.

After a time of walking in a shaded, cool dome of insects, the sandstorm subsided, Shino moved his hand and a small opening appeared in the dome.

"We're here." He stated flatly. The dome broke apart, and the beetles flooded his jacket once again. They were met by two shinobi bearing headbands with the symbol of the sand, an hourglass.

"Halt!" one of them shouted. "Identify yourselves!" he commanded. Shino stepped forward and replied in his calm tone.

"We're shinobi from Konoha," he pointed to his headband. "We've been called to complete a mission, as requested by the Kazekage."

The Sand shinobi eased his stance. "We've been expecting you." He bowed. "Please, follow me. I will personally escort you to see the Kazekage."

The followed the guard into a building that seemed very familiar, almost built in the same style that the Hokage's office was built. They came before a door. "Please, remember to show proper respect as you meet the Kazekage." He clarified.

The door slid open, and in the center of the room, stood the three Sand Siblings, Temari, Gaara and Kankurō.

"The shinobi of Konoha…Welcome." Gaara calmly greeted them.

"It's an honor to be personally summoned here, Kazekage-sama." Hinata bowed.

"How are you doing, Gaara?" Naruto asked casually. The rest of his team shot each other nervous looks; both Temari and Kankurō looked at Naruto with condemnation.

"I've been doing well, Naruto." Gaara replied with a smile, he waved off the judgmental looks that Temari and Kankurō gave to Naruto. "But my people are in need of your help." He motioned for the team to step forth. Pointingin down at a map, he began to explain.

"This small village to the north has been experiencing things that have only been told in our oldest myths and legends. We call the story 'The Siren of the Sand.'…And we're in need of your help."

"If you don't mind me asking, how does the story go?" Naruto asked with interest. Temari stepped forth.

"Legends tell of a Sand Goddess that would emerge from her slumber when she felt the world was no longer in peace. What she would do is use the desert heat to project visions into people's minds…She'd use this power to send people into a trance, letting them see whatever she wanted them to see…For some reason, it's said that she usually tricks men."

"This small village has been suffering from people just disappearing in the night, when their family members saw them in the night and called out to them, they gave no response." Kankurō continued.

"So, what makes us so special, won't the same thing happen to us?" Kiba asked.

"That's it, we're not sure. It's unlikely that travelers could succumb to the problems, but there's a reason why Gaara personally chose Uzumaki Naruto."

"…I know that if anyone could fight off the effects of this mythological figure, it'd be Naruto." Gaara added.

"Is there anything else we should know before we set off?" Hinata asked.

"Just be careful out there." Gaara added again. The team left the building and began to head north.

Halfway to their destination, another wind began to pick up. Shino shielded his team from the cutting sands again, just as he had before. But something was different this time.

This was no natural sandstorm.

The dome of beetles began to break; the wind began to push the team apart, and seemed to force them into a giant cyclone of rotating air.

"Hold on, everyone!" Naruto shouted as the team began to break apart.

"Kiba, do it now!" Shino commanded. Kiba nodded and looked over to Akamaru.

"Akamaru! Now! Dynamic Marking!" Akamaru followed loyally, and a liquid struck all four of the team members.

The cyclone broke with a shockwave, Naruto's hand was slipping from Hinata's as the air pushed them further apart, he tried his best to keep his grip on her hand.

* * *

**A/N:**

If Naruto and Hinata manage to stay together send the phrase **Weathering the Storm** to _wanderingrurouni at hotmail dot com_

If Naruto and Hinata become separated, send the phrase **Mirages in the Desert **to _wanderingrurouni at hotmail dot com_

Hopefully, I don't get my account banned.

Thanks for reading, and I'll be back as soon as I can manage.


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